Trump and his administration are threatening to terminate DACA and it will most likely force a compromise from Democrats and from immigrant/refugee/migrant rights organizations to accept federal legislature that would allocate funding for the wall, further militarize the already fascist deportation machine and exclude vulnerable immigrant groups in exchange for permanent protections for DACA eligible undocumented immigrants. We must resist being placed in such a position and refuse to make decisions out of fear or through force by those who seek to instill terror among our communities. That is why we must #DefendDACA.
Nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants are at risk of losing their work permits and relief from deportation if the program is ended, this threat has caused fear and anxiety in our immigrant communities. It is a clear attack by the anti-immigrant conservative factions of this country that have been hostile towards refugees and immigrants of color.
DACA is a band-aid, but even that band-aid was fought for by undocumented youth of color, by undocumented LGBTQ youth of color throughout the nation. We recognize that the band-aid doesn’t begin to cover the wound and that it was a half-hearted step towards inclusion and human rights by the Obama Administration. It re-enforced white supremacy through the DREAMER narrative and re-enforced the good immigrant vs. bad immigrant narrative as well. We admit the limitations of the work, but also recognize the necessity to resist the overturning of TPS and DACA and the necessity to resist their fear based political strategies, which aim to further institutionalize white supremacist fascism throughout national institutions.
As we continue to fight for all of our immigrant communities let’s remember we are more than economic gains for this country and that we are more than GPA’s and academic degrees. We stand for human rights being honored throughout the nation. We stand for an equitable and healthy society. We stand for liberation. We are human beings that deserve dignity.
We are resilient.
Resilience Orange County seeks to promote resilient youth leaders that engage in the critical work of building youth-oriented institutions in Orange County. We are a youth oriented institution that works towards social-systemic transformation while promoting healing, trauma-informed and culturally relevant practices that are inclusive of all members of the community.