Commentary: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Last night, the Trump Administration announced the rescinding of the memo which would have protected millions of immigrant parents from deportations. DACA+ & DAPA would have expanded the administrative relief known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which has proven to be a successful program that shields over 800 thousand young people from deportation nationwide.
It is important to note that the DACA 2012 program still remains in effect.
DACA+ & DAPA had been blocked from implementation because of a lawsuit filed by 26 states and a handful of Republican politicians and heard by a hand-picked Republican judge with well-known biased anti-immigrant views.
The following is a joint statement from local leaders and members of Listo NM regarding President Trump’s rescinding of DACA+ & DAPA:
“Last night, President Trump launched another attack towards immigrant families nationwide. The continuous attempts to drag our communities back into the shadows will not prevail. As we have done in the past and continue to do, we will not be silenced and will fight for our families tirelessly. We will do so by supporting Deportation Defense Networks and efforts to block the collaboration between local authority and immigration agencies.
“The DACA program has proven itself to be a successful program as demonstrated by the more than 800 thousand beneficiaries who have been able to improve their lives since the implementation of the program. Although the DACA program still stands, it is vulnerable as Trump’s agents have been found to have deported, framed and detained DACA youth in his detention camps.
“Now is the time for APS, the City of Albuquerque, and the upcoming elected officials to stand by the Albuquerque immigrant community in this moment of crisis and great need. The best way to do this is to publicly propose clear policies to ensure the safety and protection of our communities in our city during the Trump regime.
“We have campaigned hard to protect our parents and families and aren’t stopping now because this is our home and we are #HereToStay.”
– Listo NM
Listo NM is calling on all community members to organize in their hometowns and learn how to protect each other from deportation. The easiest way to plug in is by visiting our Facebook page where you can guided to our different resources for Know Your Rights Materials and Deportation Defense Resources.
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Listo NM, is an Albuquerque-based collaborative of nonprofit organizations– includingEl CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos, NM Dream Team (NMDT),Encuentro, and theNew Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC)– focused on supporting immigrant integration statewide and related support programs, services and advocacy, ensuring low-income immigrants have access to social and legal services for Immigration and Administrative Relief, to foster leadership development and to promote economic and civic engagement in immigrant communities.