SAN DIEGO, CA — In a cruel and heartless decision, the Trump administration has decided to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program while giving Congress a six-month delay to come up with a legislative solution.
This decision will negatively impact nearly 800,000 young people, including as many as 40,000 in San Diego, who under this program have been able to work, study, and contribute to America.
Mayte Lara Ibarra and Larissa Martinez had just finished their senior year of high school when they each decided to go public with their immigration status. Both Texas students came to the U.S. illegally, and they didn’t want to keep that fact a secret any longer.
Ibarra identified herself on Twitter as one of the 65,000 undocumented youth who graduate high school in the U.S. Martinez revealed her status in the commencement speech she delivered at graduation.
Francisco Salcido, 22, is a typical student who holds down a job and attends college. But his life — along with thousands of others —could change dramatically after the November presidential election. He is an undocumented immigrant with a renewable two-year work visa and deportation deferral called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.
“I just can’t think of what would happen if my DACA got taken away,” he said.
There are more than 152,000 Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
However, less than 15 percent of eligible AAPIs actually apply for the program. Moreover, nine out of every 10 AAPI who are currently eligible to request DACA have not done so.
Ten images depict local Hispanic families who appear safe and happy for the moment. The portraits exhibited at Junta For Progressive Action on Grand Avenue belie their fragility, as the specter of family disruption looms over their lives and the lives of countless others every day.
The exhibit at Junta, entitled “Faces of DAPA,” will be traveling to Washington, D.C. for an expanded exhibit as part of a national conversation about immigration policy and pending DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) litigation before the Supreme Court.
What Might Happen in U.S. v. Texas Now That the Supreme Court Has Heard the Oral Argument?
In December 2014, shortly after President Obama announced two new immigration initiatives, Texas and 25 other states filed a lawsuit in a federal district court to stop them from being implemented. The two initiatives are an expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) and the creation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA). The federal district court issued an order that blocks the initiatives from going forward. That case, United States v. Texas, is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.