FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Media Contacts: press@homeishere.us
NAKASEC Contact: rachel@nakasec.org
New Orleans, LA – Today, over 300 DACA recipients, DACA-eligible young people, and allies came together from across the country for a day of action in New Orleans where a major hearing unfolded concerning the future of the DACA program.
The lawsuit was brought forward by anti-immigrant forces in Texas who have spent over a decade shamefully tearing at the fabric of immigrant communities and targeting programs aimed at protecting undocumented communities and their loved ones. Despite these calculated, hate-filled attempts to harm our communities, the Home is Here campaign brought together hundreds of people to pack the courts at the 5th Circuit and demand the judges uphold DACA. Following the oral arguments in the DACA case, the Home is Here campaign also hosted a rally, vigil, and press conference that brought together key litigators, directly impacted individuals, and allies.
While the 5th Circuit Court originally scheduled oral arguments to take place today in another critical case challenging the recently announced Keeping Families Together process, that hearing was abruptly canceled without explanation after the 5th Circuit denied directly impacted families the opportunity to have their critical perspectives heard in court.
For photos from today’s Day of Action, please visit this link. All credit to United We Dream. You can also watch the recorded press conference here.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director for United We Dream said:
“DACA recipients have withstood over a decade of attacks by violent, anti-immigrant officials and have kept DACA alive through their courage and resilience. The anti-immigrant fringe has continued to rely on fear and hate to violently attack our freedoms to move, live, stay, and thrive in the places we call home, but they will never be able to defeat a community whose collective power and love for each other runs generations deep and has survived even the harshest attempts to drive us out.
We know that the majority of the American public is on our side and that our home is here. The moral and just choice in this moment is crystal clear: the 5th Circuit must reject this baseless lawsuit and uphold vital protections for our people, our economy and our country’s democracy. I urge President Biden and every elected official to treat this moment with the urgency it requires and to take bold and swift action to protect all immigrants once and for all. ”
Johana Larios, member of Make the Road New York, and plaintiff in the Batalla-Vidal lawsuit, said:
“I have attempted to apply for DACA three times since 2017. I want to be able to work and buy my children the things they need. I want them to see their mother pursue a career—and more than anything else, I want us to live without the fear of being separated. First-time DACA applicants and DACA-eligible people like myself have been without protection for so many years and have lived in a constant state of uncertainty. I am hopeful that the judge will do the right thing and stand on the side of justice. DACA is legal. There is much at stake for countless lives including my own and that of my family. At the same time, we can’t forget that there is much more to fight for than DACA. We have been able to keep DACA alive, but we can no longer continue to live in and out of the courtroom. Immigrant communities have been pushing for decades for a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and we cannot wait any longer. We demand permanent protections including a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people.”
Adela de la Torre, Deputy Director of Justice Action Center, said:
“The DACA case heard today, and the one on Keeping Families Together that the court canceled are essentially about love: love for our families, love for our communities, and love for our country. On the other side, certain elected officials in Texas seem relentless in their desire to keep families at risk of separation and make immigrant youth deportable. Make no mistake: Texas could drop these lawsuits tomorrow. Instead, they continue to make my clients and this community a political scapegoat. Justice Action Center has been, and will always be, a steadfast ally in the fight for families.”
Iliana Perez, Executive Director of Immigrants Rising, said:
“We are here in the fight to protect DACA because it has been a critical tool to clearing the path to economic mobility for hundreds of thousands of people — myself included. With DACA, recipients have been able to advance their careers as teachers, lawyers, nurses, mental health practitioners, business owners, and other valued employees. Removing DACA is removing incredible potential from the U.S. These harmful attempts to strip recipients of protections will not only devastate them and their families, but will also deprive our communities of the professional and economic contributions of talented individuals. We urge the 5th Circuit Court to keep DACA intact, but it is clear that we need long-term solutions for DACA recipients and their families to be able to fully contribute to the country they call home.”
Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us, said:
“The 12 years of DACA have made it undeniable that not only is DACA a wildly successful program that has transformed millions of lives, but that giving people the ability to legally work and live without fear of deportation is something best for not only all undocumented immigrants who have built their lives here, but best for all Americans. With the rising threat of mass family separations, the saga against DACA and ongoing attacks against the Keeping Families Together process for spouses of U.S. citizens could not be more dire. These attacks are about one thing: throwing lives into chaos and paving the way for mass family separations. Today in New Orleans and in the weeks ahead, the contrast could not be clearer for the majority of Americans concerned with the future of our immigration system: enacting a fair and orderly system, protecting immigrant communities, and fighting for a pathway to citizenship versus chaos and mass family separation and subjecting millions of people to deportation.”
Kica Matos, President of National Immigration Law Center (NILC), said:
“In New Orleans and across the country, immigrant communities and allies are closely watching one of the nation’s most radical and conservative federal courts demanding they set aside politics and uphold justice. We are united in the fight to defeat politically motivated attacks that threaten to devastate our communities and separate families. Now more than ever, we remain undeterred in pushing for a permanent solution for DACA recipients and all immigrant community members whose home is here.”
Jung Woo Kim, Co-Director of NAKASEC and intervenor-defendant, said:
“As an intervenor in this case and a DACA recipient, this fight is deeply personal to me. Today’s hearing in New Orleans is not just a legal proceeding for undocumented folks, it’s a battle for the futures of countless individuals like me who have built our lives in this country. We are not just asking for protection—we are demanding recognition of our humanity and our contributions. It’s time for a permanent solution, so we can live without the constant fear of losing everything. We need Citizenship for all now!”
Antonio Arellano, Vice President of Communications at NextGen America, said:
“As a former DACA recipient, I know that the stakes of this ruling could not be higher—dreams and futures are at risk, and the very fabric of our communities is at risk of being irrevocably torn apart. For over a decade, relentless anti-immigrant forces have sought to undermine the security and stability of DACA recipients and those who aspire to live and work without the constant shadow of fear looming over us. This must end.
“Young people urge the court, and our elected leaders, to reject political maneuvers aimed at undermining immigrants and instead take decisive action to protect essential programs like DACA. This fight transcends policies, it is about our shared humanity. We demand an immigration system that not only recognizes our worth but also honors our contributions. Now more than ever, NextGen America is mobilizing our communities to support candidates and policies that uphold the dignity of all individuals. As we confront this critical moment, we must advocate for justice, unity, and a future where all immigrants can live with dignity and security.”
Images below are courtesy of NAKASEC:
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The Home Is Here national coalition is fighting to protect DACA recipients, their families, and all immigrant communities at the U.S. Supreme Court. DACA recipients are undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. They are also our nurses, our teachers, our coworkers, our family members, and our friends — and their home is here. For more information visit HomeIsHere.Us
