Immigration and Immigrant Rights
Advancing Justice Condemns the Administration’s Termination of DACA
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. No new DACA applications will be processed after today, and the program will be terminated in March 2018. Since its creation in 2012, DACA has transformed the lives of nearly 800,000 young people by providing temporary relief from deportation and a work permit.
In response, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a national affiliation of five civil rights organizations, issues this statement:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and NIAC Action Condemn the Government’s Attempt to Make the “Backdoor Muslim Ban” Permanent
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice (“Advancing Justice”), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”), and NIAC Action strongly condemn the federal government’s proposal to make its “Backdoor Muslim Ban” permanent, and announce the launch of web portals to facilitate public comment.
Advancing Justice | AAJC Statement in Support of DACA
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In partnership with the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC coordinated a rally and press event in front of the White House today with our national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) partners in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC issued the following statement:
Advancing Justice Condemns President’s Pardon of Arpaio and Directive to Implement a Transgender Ban
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Washington, D.C. — On Friday, August 25, President Trump continued to side with racists and bigots by pardoning former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio — who had been convicted of criminal contempt in a case involving racial profiling of Latino immigrants — and continuing with a military directive to implement a transgender ban. While the White House also announced the departure of controversial advisor Sebastian Gorka, who promoted white supremacist views, the other actions on Friday indicate this administration is charging ahead with its divisive agenda.
Advancing Justice Urges Trump to Uphold DACA
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Washington, D.C. — August 25, 2017 — The news outlet Axios broke news that President Trump is seriously considering ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which has transformed the lives of about 800,000 young people, including over 16,000 Asian American immigrant youth.
Advancing Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, releases the following statement:
Under the narrative often offered by those who seek to restrict immigration, there is a “good immigrant” who contributes to the growth of the country, and a “bad immigrant” who is undocumented and therefore must be a criminal and deported immediately.
But life is never that simple. As demonstrated by a recent case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, there are many grey areas. That case also demonstrates the importance of good legal counsel.
Aging Parents Eliminated in Proposed Merit-Based Immigration System Overhaul Supported by Trump
President Donald Trump Aug. 2 unveiled the RAISE Act, a new Senate bill that would employ a merit-based system for admitting new immigrants, cutting out preferences for extended family members, including parents and grandparents of legal U.S. residents and citizens.
DACA is a temporary program that allows certain undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. before they were 16 years old and were 30 or younger as of June 2012 to apply for a two-year reprieve from deportation and a work permit which is renewable every two years. Almost 800,000 young people have received DACA. Several hundred thousand more people are eligible or will age into the program. This program was created by former President Obama – not Congress – which means that President Trump may attempt to end the program without Congressional action.
Within one week of being sworn-in, President Trump issued several executive orders that changed our immigration system. In addition to the Muslim and refugee ban, the Administration has essentially eliminated all priorities and discretion from immigration enforcement. The Administration is directly adopting the policy recommendations of anti-immigrant organizations such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).