September 5, 2017
Today, in response to the President’s outrageous decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Carlos Amador, Organizing Director at the the California Immigrant Policy Center, issued the following statement. Amador was deeply involved in the 2012 immigrant youth-led campaign that resulted in DACA’s creation.
“Today’s unconscionably cruel decision by the President is nothing less than a white supremacist assault on the lives and livelihoods of 800,000 young people, their families, and their communities.
We stand in steadfast solidarity with all hurt by today’s xenophobic act – and with all 11 million undocumented people in this country who every day face the risk of criminalization, detention, and deportation.
Immigrant youth themselves won DACA through a bold organizing campaign that turned conventional wisdom and the status quo on its head. This victory brought relief and wellness to hundreds of thousands of young people. And since then, immigrant communities have continued to organize courageously to defend the human rights of all who call this country home.
In the face of this painful setback, we honor the resilience and determination of immigrant Californians. We know that powerful organizing and activism will bloom in communities here and across the country. From the campaign to pass a strong SB 54 in California so that police and sheriffs don’t act as deportation agents, to a host of inclusive local and state policies, the fight for racial, social, and economic justice is stronger than ever.”