National CAPACD Condemns Attack on Immigrant Youth,
Vows to #DefendDACA
The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), is outraged by this Administration’s decision to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). The DACA repeal is a disavowal of our country’s values and a betrayal of as many as 800,000 young people, who trusted the government and believed in the American Dream. By putting some of the most valuable members of our society at risk, the current Administration once again exposes the fundamentally anti-immigrant agenda that it has perpetuated since coming to office.
As a coalition that believes in opportunity for the most vulnerable, including immigrant youth, adults, and families, we believe that all people deserve equal access to participate in civic society. This includes the Dreamers– young people who are raised in our neighborhoods, attend our schools, work at our local businesses, and contribute to shaping our nation. National CAPACD stands against any attempts to rip immigrant families apart, disrupt our neighborhoods, and threaten the safety of our communities.
“The rescinding of DACA is just one of the many steps this Administration will take to enforce white supremacy, this time by declaring who can be in the U.S. and who cannot. As a refugee community, we understand what it means to flee our counties because of circumstances beyond our control. We stand by any community that has been stripped of the same,” says Cat Bao Le, Executive Director of member organization Southeast Asian Coalition (SEAC) in North Carolina.
At a time where there are so much uncertainty and fear for many in our communities, we are inspired by the work of local organizations who have remained bold in their action to defend DACA. For the last 22 days, our allies at the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), have remained vigil at the White House for 24 hours a day. “It is cruel and un-American to ruin the lives of young people who stepped forward in good faith to participate in a program that has proven to be successful. They trusted the government. Ending DACA means the country is abandoning them and all the progress we have made together,” stated Dae Joong Yoon, NAKASEC Co-Director.
National CAPACD calls upon Congress to support the DREAM Act. To learn how you can support, visit NAKASEC’s site.