WASHINGTON, DC (January 20, 2021) Today, shortly after his inauguration, President Joe Biden issued a memorandum in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA is a program that has provided temporary deportation relief to almost 800,000 people who came to the U.S. as children. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – a Quaker organization that has worked for immigrant and refugee rights for over a century – applauded the action.
“This executive action is a victory for undocumented young people, their loved ones, and our communities,” said Peniel Ibe, Policy Engagement Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee. “During a time of a pandemic, a growing movement for racial justice, and a white supremacist uprising, we need a strong commitment to the protection of undocumented young people more than ever. The demands that Black and Brown immigrants have been making for years played a key role in the victory and we stand in solidarity with everyone who worked to make this happen.”
Since the DACA program was announced by executive order in 2012, AFSC has been involved in helping people sign up for the program, providing know-your-rights information, protesting and advocating at the Capitol and across the country, and mobilizing constituents to support legislation creating a roadmap to citizenship for all. The fate of DACA continues to be challenged in the courts.
DACA recipients are now urging Congress and the Biden Administration to act – and not just to protect DACA recipients. “Our parents and all members of our communities also deserve protections,” said Itzel Hernandez, an immigrant rights organizer with AFSC in Red Bank, New Jersey who is also a DACA recipient. “We all deserve to know that we can feel secure in continuing to build our lives here. Congress must stop funding agencies like ICE and CBP that harm our communities and pass legislation to provide a roadmap to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people living and working in the United States.”
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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social systems.