Published: Tuesday, September 5th, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2017
Contact: Alexa Mauzy-Lewis, Camino PR
212.255.2575 / alexa@caminopr.com
WASHINGTON D.C. — The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) strongly condemns the Trump administration’s decision to cut the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that provides over 800,000 young undocumented immigrants with work permits and deportation relief. This recent decision leaves hundreds of thousands of young people vulnerable to deportation.
NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow released the following statement in response:
“DACA recipients have lived in fear since last November, when a man with an anti-immigrant, racist agenda was elected as president. Despite false promises earlier this summer that Dreamers would continue to be protected, Trump has ended one of the most important immigration policies for our communities. We have heard first hand accounts of how DACA has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, we have the data to show how beneficial this policy has been for our economy, and he still chose to end it.
“We know what is going to happen next. ICE raids and months spent in detention centers and the mass deportation of people who have only known the United States as their home. We have already seen the devastating impact of deportation on our communities, especially for AAPI women and youth. The threat of deportation tears families apart and negatively impacts their economic stability, employment, and reproductive choices.
“Ending a program like DACA is against the true ideals that have made this country a beacon of hope, it is against the belief that all individuals are created equal, regardless of who we are, where we come from, or how we arrived here. We call upon Members of Congress to support the bipartisan DREAM Act of 2017, which would provide protection for those who have lost their DACA status. We must and will continue to resist this administration’s hateful and anti-immigrant policies, and stand strong with our partners and the 800,000 young immigrants who make this country great.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF): NAPAWF is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls.