Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a positive and celebratory win for the close to 800,000 affected immigrants and their families. The unyielding advocacy by the immigrant rights community positioned DACA in the mainstream debate and conceivably influenced this constitutionally legal outcome.
US Immigration policy historically has been defined by foreign and domestic policy driven by economic conditions. In recent years these policies have also been motivated by a racist, patriotic sentiment focused on immigrants of color. We are witnessing unfettered attacks on Americans of color, scapegoating of immigrants and even the caging of children. All this with the permission of the current federal government!
The same level of political advocacy led by the immigrant and refugee rights movement must continue to define fair immigration laws and practices. A comprehensive immigration policy with a clear, expedient path to citizenship for DACA recipients should be the priority on ALL of OUR agendas. While we celebrate this recognition by the Supreme Court that DREAMers are Americans, we must demand that both parties in Congress, Democrats and Republicans, stop using immigrants as a ping pong ball, and now take up the mantle and create real and progressive immigration policy, ensuring a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants who make up the backbone of this country.
La lucha continua,
Latino Task Force