Dream Resource Center Reaffirms Commitment to Empower Immigrant Youth as DACA Program Ends
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2017
CONTACT: Rubi Martinez, rubimartinez@ucla.edu
Dream Resource Center Reaffirms Commitment to Empower Immigrant Youth as DACA Program Ends
LOS ANGELES — Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions held a brief press conference announcing President Trump’s plans to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. The end of this program means life-changing consequences for the nearly 800,000 young people and their communities. In light of the this news, the Dream Resource Center (DRC), a project of the UCLA Labor Center, reaffirms its commitment to empower immigrant youth and stands with immigrant communities across the country.
“DACA was not handed to immigrant youth; in fact, it was immigrant youth organizers across the country that made DACA a reality in 2012. Even though DACA is coming to an end after five years, we know we will continue fighting. Now, more than ever, we must stand shoulder to shoulder and work collectively to achieve justice for our immigrant communities. We need to be vigilant and prepare to defend our community tooth and nail from deportations,” expressed Yael Pineda, DACA recipient.
The termination of DACA deprives immigrant youth and their families of their livelihood, and it will have severe ramifications to the economy. According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), California alone will see a loss of over $11 billion dollars annually, and a loss of over $400 billion dollars in the next decade at a national level.
“DACA made an incredible impact in the lives of immigrant youth and provided another platform for them to pursue their dreams, the rescission of this program represents a step back for our state and our country, expressed, Victor Narro, Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, “But we have and will continue to fight for the rights of all immigrants, California will lead the way.”
Now, more than ever, the DRC remains committed to immigrant youth and the fight for immigrant rights. The center will continue to build the leadership of immigrant youth, lead research, engage in education work, inform policy, and uplift the narratives of our immigrant communities.
Since its founding, the DRC has emerged as a national source for innovative research, education, and policy immigration issues. Since 2011, the center has served over 600 immigrant youth through the Dream Summer Fellowship, and has been uplifting the narratives of the immigrant community through the Undocumented Stories project.
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***To schedule interviews with project director and/or immigrant youth, please contact Rubi Martinez, rubimartinez@ucla.edu.
