Just in the middle of Labor Day weekend, Politico posted an article announcing the end of the DACA program with six months’ delay, according to unnamed sources.
We know anti-immigrant Attorney General Jeff Sessions is behind efforts to end DACA, since he believes President Obama had no power to issue the executive order that created the program and that the deferred action should have been created by Congress. Besides, he is not the kind of person who gives opportunities to people of color, and he resents President Obama’s power.
During Obama’s presidency, when DREAMers were seeking an “administrative relief” by the executive branch since Congress was not in the mood to vote for the DREAM Act or CIR, they obtained hundreds of signatures from constitutional professors and legal scholars in support of an executive action by the President.
But I digress… Back to Politico.
Politico‘s article is really opportunistic, and the title is misleading. It is sending shockwaves among the young immigrants and their allies who have been stressed enough by the White House’s comments and threats by Trump. As the article acknowledges, the reality is that 45’s administration is well known for its instability, and “nothing is set in stone.”
DACA-DREAMers know if worse comes to worst, the six month period before the ending of the DACA program may be a great opportunity to actually pass the DREAM Act, bringing a permanent solution to their woes. The community needs to stay focused on achieving one goal: getting politicians, members of Congress, and industry leaders to help pass the DREAM Act.
These tweets sum up our thoughts on Sunday:
Nothing's official until it's official. Keep standing by immigrant youth and #DefendDACA. #SaveDACA https://t.co/cyBowGsWLe
— Gabe Ortíz (@TUSK81) September 4, 2017
Here's what we DO know:
1) DACA is still in place today
2) Outlets have been reporting the end of DACA for weeks
3) We must keep fighting— Nat'l Imm Law Center (@NILC_org) September 4, 2017