Next week, over a hundred Black and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) immigrants will join forces for a day of action in Washington, D.C.
They will demand that Congress pass a clean DREAM Act and find a permanent solution for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders by Dec. 8.
“Our communities are often erased in the immigration debate, and it’s time to fight back,” said UndocuBlack Network and AAPI Immigrant Rights Organizing Table, the organizers of the rally scheduled for Dec. 5.
On Sept. 5, President Donald Trump dismantled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that provided over 800,000 young undocumented immigrants with work permits and deportation relief.
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Jonathan Jayes-Green, a DACA recipient and co-creator of the UndocuBlack Network, penned an op-ed last month.
“Like generations of immigrants who came before us, undocumented young people are vibrant, integral members of our society who make incredible contributions to all of our communities every single day,” it read.
“If Congress does not pass a clean Dream Act, families will be torn apart indefinitely, our economy will suffer, and people will be sent deeper into the shadows, making our communities less safe.”
“It’s time to stop using the lives of immigrant youth as a bargaining chip in a cruel game of immigration politics,” said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).
Inhe Choi of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) said, “Over 8,000 young people have lost DACA since Sept. 5 and hundreds lose protection each week Congress does not pass legislation to protect them. We must pass a #cleanDREAMact NOW!”
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