The following is a press release from Students for Education Reform.
New York — Today the Trump White House announce that over the next six months it would be winding down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which protected about 800,000 immigrant youth who arrived unauthorized in the United States as children from immediate deportation.
Sofia Arely Guevara, Lead Student Organizer with Students for Education Reform (SFER), released the following statement:
“We strongly condemn the actions of Trump, who has once again aligned himself with the hateful values of white supremacists and nationalists who will undoubtedly celebrate this decision. To deny young people, many of whom have spent their entire lives in this country, the right to a quality education and a chance at the American dream is despicable and down right un-American. DREAMers don’t deserve to be criminalized; they deserve a pathway to citizenship that recognizes their personhood, contributions, and limitless potential. We now look to Congress to do what is right for the children of this country and pass the DREAM Act, which has bipartisan support in both Congress and the public.”
Individuals covered by DACA were encouraged to come out of the shadows and reveal their immigration status in order to pursue higher education to achieve their limitless potential or a work permit to be productive citizens in the American economy, paying taxes and supporting their families. Trump’s ill-thought-out decision ignores the overwhelming number of Americans who support DACA—including many Republican leaders—and will devastate the economy.
Alexis Morin, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Students for Education Reform (SFER), released the following statement:
“We know that many of our student members have friends and family who will be affected by the repeal of DACA. We’re using our position and privilege as an organization to stand in solidarity with so many students who now will be forced to live in constant fear of deportation. We call on schools, local municipalities, local police forces, and community leaders to not comply with this order or ICE officials and declare their spaces as a place of refugee for undocumented youth.
We understand and acknowledge that it is unsafe for some to speak up, many of whom are SFER members, and we are standing in solidarity with those who are choosing to stay quiet to secure the safety of themselves and their families.”
