In reaction to the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) memo, while making no determination on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, People For the American Way Political Director Lizet Ocampo released the following statement:

“President Trump’s decision to go out of his way to rescind DAPA adds insult to injury. Rescinding the memo that provides protections to qualifying undocumented parents of some U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents is a clear signal that Trump’s administration does not value keeping families together.”

“President Trump should focus on building upon the successes of the DACA program instead of choosing to go backwards. Through the DACA program, more than 750,000 DREAMers have been able to make America great by strengthening our country’s economy and contributing to their communities. It is due to the hard work of DREAMers themselves and their allies that this program has been so successful.

“His administration is doing everything it can to intimidate immigrant families by allowing Homeland Security and ICE to aggressively and arbitrarily raid communities, targeting and intimidating all immigrants, including DREAMers and long-standing community members. That, combined with Republicans’ efforts to block DAPA through the courts as well as their repeated attempts to criminalize immigrants, has led to a toxic and terrifying environment. Republican lawmakers from 26 states launched an unprecedented legal attack against DAPA, blocking the implementation of the program; Congressional Republicans joined in an unprecedented amicus brief when it reached the Supreme Court; and not a single elected GOP leader at any level of government was willing to stand up in the program’s defense. Now that Republicans are in charge of the White House and both chambers of Congress, the public can more clearly see where their priorities lie.”

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

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