Statement of ACLU of Massachusetts on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, today released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s announcement concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), a program that has served as a critical lifeline for young immigrants who came to this country as children:
“With today’s announcement, the Trump administration has only ratcheted up to a new level of stress the lives of the 800,000 people who have been living legally in the United States and contributing to their communities. The Trump Administration has again chosen cruelty over compassion by inserting yet more doubt into the program and continues to upend the lives of countless young people and their families, while also disrupting thousands of workplaces and communities across the country. In Massachusetts, more than 7,900 Dreamers call our Commonwealth home and use their DACA status to give back to our communities in innumerable ways. Massachusetts has a lot to lose from ending DACA, including more than $606 million in benefits to our local economy. Moreover, Massachusetts will also see nearly 8,000 hardworking young people put at risk – our loved ones and neighbors who live, study and work here.
“The end of DACA creates a new urgency for Congress to pass the Dream Act that addresses Dreamers’ renewed vulnerability to deportation. Locally, Massachusetts must step up to fight on behalf of Dreamers, their families and their futures.
“We remain deeply committed to fighting the worst excesses of the Trump administration and to protecting freedoms of all Massachusetts residents by challenging any actions we believe to be illegal, unconstitutional and dangerous. The ACLU and coalition partners are exploring all measures to defend the rights of Dreamers to live and work in the country that's their home.”
For more information about DACA in Massachusetts, click here.
For more information about the ACLU of Massachusetts' work to safeguard immigrants' rights, click here.
