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Defend DACA, Hit the streets for DREAMers!

By Legalization For All (L4A)

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following press statement from the Legalization for All Network (L4A).

Washington D.C. — A hard-earned victory by the immigrant rights movement in 2012 is under imminent threat by President Trump.

On Sunday, Sept. 3, Trump spoke with U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan about slashing DACA in the following six months.

Young undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers challenged President Obama during his 2012 reelection campaign for lack of action on legalization of the undocumented. Countless protests at his campaign offices forced President Obama to issue an executive order to establish Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on June 13, 2012.

Over 800,000 undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as children have since been issued temporary visas, good for about three years. This allows them to get jobs and drivers licenses. Over 90% of them have become employed and many have gone on to seek a higher education.

Texas and five other Republican-ruled states have threatened to launch a lawsuit against DACA on Sept. 5 unless the administration starts taking apart the program. They hope to pressure the president to shut down DACA or at least not to defend the program in court, thus allowing a judge to end the program.

As a result, some Democrats, like California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, stated publicly on August 28 that he would help lead a defense of DACA if the Justice Department refused to intervene. Arizona Representative McSally ® and U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan have also expressed support, after much pressure from groups like United We Dream and Voces de la Frontera in Milwaukee.

A call-in day to express your outrage at Trump’s decision to slash DACA is set for Tuesday, Sept. 5. Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and demand Trump not end DACA for over 800,000 DREAMers. Follow the call-in day with hitting the streets at your nearest protest. If there is none, organize one now! Send pictures from your event to L4A’s page or tweet us at http://twitter.com/LegalizeForAll

Like the proposed Muslim Ban that was met by thousands demonstrating in the streets in dozens of cities and airports, we expect this attack on Chicano, Mexicano, Central American and other communities to be met with mass mobilizations.

The Legalization for All Network continues to oppose all racist attacks on immigrants by Trump, including the undocumented youth benefiting from DACA. We say, “Hit the streets and defend DACA! Defend the undocumented! Legalization for all now!”

#WashingtonDC #US #PeoplesStruggles #immigrantRights #legalizationForAll #Antiracism #DACA #Trump #DonaldTrump