Potential end to DACA unites activists, students alike
Nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants could lose protection and face deportation today on September 5th, if President Trump announces that he is going to end the DACA program, according to social justice organizations such as Make the Road, Planned Parenthood, Erie County United and PA Student Power Network.
The program, established in 2012 during the Obama administration, is called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and is also known as the DREAMers Act.
Beneficiaries of the program, referred to as “Dreamers,” are immigrants who arrived to the United States illegally as minors. These “Dreamers” have been able to gain employment and access to high school and higher education without worrying about punishment such as deportation and being separated from their families and communities.
On Thursday, August 31, 2017, Erie County United, Planned Parenthood, Keystone Progress, PA Student Power network and students from Penn State Behrend and surrounding areas attended a rally in Perry Square to protest President Trump’s threats to end the program. Lydia Laythe, of Edinboro, organized the rally with her sister, Isabella Laythe;"Potentially, people who have lived here the past 20 years of their lives--and who only have real memories of living here--could be deported just simply because their parents brought them here when they were little.”
Penn State Behrend Freshman, and Political Science major, Carlos Mora, legally immigrated to the United States from Colombia in early 2016. Although he is not an undocumented immigrant, he knows people who are at risk.
“Someone close to me has been living in this country, undocumented, for more than 15 years. He is a top A American. I believe he is more American than many Americans and is more proud of this country than many people.” Mora went on to explain that his friend (who he wishes to keep confidential) has been working hard and contributing to society, even in the banking sector, and yet still faces judgement from people who don’t trust him.
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The President and Vice President of Behrend’s Multicultural Council (MCC) Marisela Poblete, and Ally Johnson also joined Behrend students at the Rally. MCC President Poblete expressed that “I believe that the President wants to remove the DACA program simply to please his supporters.” She went on to explain how many of his supporters are either very wealthy or poor and uneducated, and how they need to talk to people unlike themselves: “I encourage people to talk to other people you normally wouldn’t talk to… Then you will realize who they are, and what their story is, and that they are not the bad person the President or even the media is portraying them as.”
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Other students who attended the rally were freshmen Ali Malik, and Branson Lieb who didn’t know much about the DACA, but wanted to come to learn and participate. Ali Malik proclaimed that “Yes, we have plenty of bad humans already in the U.S., but there are also plenty of good humans outside of the U.S. that we could bring in and welcome.”
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Other students who attended the rally were Angel Mora, Kyle Lambing, and A’aryonna Fontes among others. For more information on how to get involved, reach out to PA Student Power Network.