Washington, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, which has protected nearly 800,000 young people from facing deportation and allowed them to go to college, get better jobs, and better support their families and communities since it was instituted by President Barack Obama in 2012. Neera Tanden, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, issued the following statement in response:
The decision to rip DACA away from nearly 800,000 young people to comply with the fictitious deadline set forth by the attorney general of Texas is among the most destructive and heartbreaking actions performed by President Trump since he took office—and that’s saying a lot for an administration that has done so much damage and torn apart so many communities in eight months. President Trump has acted heartlessly and lied about the way he would deal with the status of these young people, going back on his promise to “show great heart” toward them. Dreamers are our neighbors, our fellow students, our colleagues at work, and we will fight this action. While this may energize President Trump’s most anti-immigrant supporters, particularly coming on the heels of his shameful pardon of the infamous former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, it does not reflect the views of the majority of Americans who believe Dreamers should be given the chance to live permanently in the United States, the country they call home—and for many, the only home they’ve ever known. Make no mistake: This is not the end of the fight, but the beginning. We will not stop until we win permanent protection for Dreamers. We call on Congress to take immediate action to bring to the floor a clean version of the bipartisan Dream Act to prevent any further disruption and anxiety to their lives, and so that Dreamers may have an opportunity to seek permanent status and citizenship, and continue having a positive impact on our great nation.
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