Outrage against Supreme Court blocking Deferred Action for Parents of Americans
Washington D.C. – On June 23, the Supreme Court made an announcement that crushed the hopes of over 5 million undocumented parents. The Supreme Court split in 4-4 tie vote, meaning that the lower court decision blocking Deferred Action for Parents of American Citizens (DAPA) and the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs was not overturned.
The DAPA and expanded DACA programs were a result of DREAMers and immigrant rights activists hitting the streets demanding a halt to deportations. President Obama, who earlier had said that he did not have the power to more widely defer deportations, gave ground in 2014 to the protests, given the continued stonewalling by the Republican controlled House and Senate to block any legalization bills. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and 25 other Republican state governments immediately filed suit in federal court to block the programs, and were able to persuade the lower court to do so.
The DAPA program would have expanded the DACA program to the undocumented parents of U.S.-born citizen children, granting them temporary relief from deportation and the legal right to work. DAPA, along with the expansion of the DACA, would have covered about 5 million people, or less than half the more than 10 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
The vast majority of the undocumented population is Mexican and Central American. Fleeing gang violence and government repression in their home countries, they enter the U.S. only to be met with further violence, government repression, exploitation and racist discrimination. Minutemen (a paramilitary group) and right-wingers like Donald Trump fuel the anti-immigrant fire, and call for increased attacks against the undocumented – including building another wall at the U.S./Mexico border.
“This decision confirms the need for the mass movements to unite with the demand for legalization for all 11 million undocumented people. The courts, the right wing which is the political voice of the corporations that exploit the undocumented, and an unwilling President Obama all fail to deliver. This government is in the hands of the ruling class and that means denials, delays, deaths and deportations for the undocumented workers and their families,” says Santiago Molina who is an activist in Tucson, Arizona.
The Legalization for All Network (L4A) supports protests of the Supreme Court ruling that continues to block DAPA. L4A is a network comprised of individuals and organizations around the country who support legalization for all; a stop to all deportations; no Bracero programs (Blue Visas); and a stop to border militarization. Encouraging all to rise up in a time of bad news, L4A condemns the ruling and will continue to fight back against deportations and for legalization!