This week, the United States government announced its plan to put an end to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.) Ending DACA is the most recent of many attacks on immigrant communities by this administration.
DACA has protected young immigrants from deportation, permitting them to live, study, and work in the United States. DACA recipients are enrolled in school, college, university. They are our neighbors, coworkers. They are us.
The current attack on DACA is a continuation of rampant anti-immigrant actions since last November that, combined with the portrayal of immigrants as dangerous, illegal criminals perpetuate stereotypes that harm the most vulnerable of our communities.
The racialized policies of the War on Drugs and the attacks on immigrant rights work in tandem to create a heightened sense of fear and deprive people of some of the most basic needs: safety, employment, shelter, and psychological well-being.
The end of DACA means that 800,000 young people, their families, and loved ones risk losing the only home they’ve ever known. As harm reductionists, we must acknowledge and address when harm is being done. Here’s what you can do:
Donate:
- National Immigration Law Center
- Immigrant Defense Project
- The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
- Mariposas Sin Fronteras
- Northwest Immigrant Project
What you can do to support Dreamers:
- Text ‘RESIST’ to 50409 to tell your local senators that you want to Defend DACA. This will send a fax to your senator’s office!