A woman participates in an immigration rally for Haitians in New York City after the Trump administration announced that Haitians with Temporary Protected Status must leave the country by July 22, 2019, or face deportation. Photo: CNS. Rhona Guidos
Supporters of young people who came to the US without documents as children descended on Washington early this month, risking arrest and seeking attention from lawmakers during what they believe is the last window of opportunity this year to pass legislation to help them stay in the country.
Supporters came from California, New York and places in between, with signs, drums, guitars, photos and thoughts of loved ones, taking out their worries and frustrations, venting their hopes for passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM Act, at a rally near the US capitol.
In September, President Donald Trump announced he was ending the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program, or DACA, that allowed some 750,000 to 800,000 young adults who were brought into the country as children and who met certain conditions to attend school, work and even have a driver’s license. Though he ended the program, he urged Congress to find a solution before the first of the programme’s permits expire as early as March.
That expiration date and what will happen when it arrives has many young adults and their loved ones worried, said Vamba Fofana, national executive vice president for the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas in New York, who attended the day of action and demonstration at the Capitol.
Since the youth had to provide the government information about where they work and where they live to apply for DACA, many young adults who benefited from it now worry the information they gave will be used to deport them, Fofana said.
In limbo
Some of them don’t know whether they can remain in school or at work, or drive since those documents are at peril.
“Obviously, they are in limbo,” said Fofana, whose organisation was part of a larger group that included workers’ movements, Faith groups, including many Catholics, and students at a mass gathering to show support. “We feel we can collectively put pressure on Congress.”
Supporters want a solution by the end of the year. Though little has been revealed, some speculate that Democrats are seeking to negotiate DACA as part of a spending bill that must be approved by December 22 or the country will face a government shutdown.
Republicans have publicly said they do not want to include legislation benefiting immigrants as part of the spending bill, setting up a political showdown over immigration just before Christmas.
As some lawmakers and congressional staffers passed by the demonstration on December 6, some attendees sang “Trump can’t grab this dream, we shall not be moved…” to the tune of ‘We Shall Not Be Moved’, a popular civil rights anthem, just outside Union Station, a main transportation hub for politicians going in and out of Washington en route to the capitol. The song expresses resiliency in adversity because of faith in God.
“We’re here to join in solidarity,” said Fofana. “We think (the youth) have a future in this country, a country immigrants have helped advance.”
Bob Fulkerson, state director and co-founder of the grass-roots organisation Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said this is a unique time. And it is probably, he said, about as close as supporters have ever come to a successful legislative solution to help the youth but it can’t be done while putting in place actions to hurt other immigrants, including carrying out plans to end programmes such as Temporary Protected Status.
The TPS program, as it’s popularly known, has been around for 27 years and provides a work permit and reprieve from deportation to immigrants from some countries recovering from conflicts or natural disasters.
In November, the Trump administration wiped out TPS, effective July 2019, for about 59,000 Haitians who benefited from the programme after a devastating earthquake on the island in 2010. TPS programmes for El Salvador and Honduras will also be up for renewal in early 2018, and Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, has signalled that he wants to end those programs.
Arrested
Nevada’s Fulkerson, who was one of hundreds arrested on December 6 for refusing to disperse from the steps of the capitol as he demanded Congress take action, said this is the time for lawmakers to do something but without seeking to hurt others.
A variety of polls from major news organisations show a majority of the US public favours finding a solution to help the youth, who serve in a variety of careers, including in the military and as teachers in public schools. Many are enrolled in college.
Supporters worry that any negotiations to help will ultimately end up hurting family members, as deals are made to protect some migrants and not others.
The situation of Casandra Mendez, a 17-year-old present at the rally with a group from Christ the King Parish in Glen Burnie, Maryland, illustrates the complexity of immigration problems one family can face.
While Casandra is a US citizen because she was born in the US, some of her siblings and her parents, were born in Mexico and do not have documents. Though her brother may benefit from the passage of a DREAM Act, it doesn’t solve the looming threat of deportation for other family members. If it passes the measure would create a path of citizenship for DACA beneficiaries.
She said she attended the rally hoping to influence immigration relief at least for her brother, who was finally able to enroll in college at age 25 with help from DACA and wants to open a business.
Casandra lives with memories of disappearing family members, including a group deported from Buffalo, New York, because someone saw them clearing the snow in the streets and called immigration agents to have them deported, she said. She finds it hard to understand, she said, the hateful sentiments.
“We pay taxes, which is more than what some US citizens (who protest taxes) do,” she said. “We work, we don’t stand in the streets asking anyone for money, we’re not lazy.”
Concepcion Morales, another Christ the King parishioner who attended the event, said it was important to show up and support members of his community, particularly because so many are experiencing fear. He said Congress can alleviate some of the fear.
“They have to act,” he said.
Rhona Guidos is a writer with CNS.