Washington, DC — Today Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The following is a statement by Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network:
“Trump’s decision to end DACA is unconscionable. Trump has wielded countless attacks on immigrants, and today’s announcement is further proof that his white supremacist and nativist administration has no restraint when it comes to tearing apart families and upending lives.
With the end of DACA, nearly 800,000 people, many of whom are immigrant youth, will become vulnerable to aggressive raids, deadly detention centers and life-altering deportations that already affect immigrants not benefiting from the program.
DWN is steadfast in our commitment to fighting for the continuation of DACA and are simultaneously steadfast in our commitment to reject attempts to negotiate away one group of people in exchange for another. The immigrant rights movement is strong, and the fight is clear: Members of Congress must act immediately to keep Trump in check.
In the coming weeks, Congress has the opportunity to put the brakes on Trump’s agenda by protecting DACA recipients through legislation and by opposing the racist and anti-immigrant funding proposal up for vote this month. In addition to the infamous border wall, Trump is planning to massively increase the number of people in detention. He also seeks to increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection by nearly 20 percent.
The termination of DACA and the hate-fueled and wasteful use of taxpayer dollars to wage a wholesale attack on immigrants must be stopped.”
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Detention Watch Network (DWN) is a national coalition of organizations and individuals working to expose and challenge the injustices of the United States’ immigration detention and deportation system and advocate for profound change that promotes the rights and dignity of all persons. Founded in 1997 by immigrant rights groups, DWN brings together advocates to unify strategy and build partnerships on a local and national level to end immigration detention. Visit www.detentionwatchnetwork.org. Follow @DetentionWatch.