Under DACA they do not let their guard down and say that there is still a way to fight; activists call to vote in November
Dreamers at the border cautiously took the decision made by the Supreme Court on Thursday but also considered that President Donald Trump will now be more obsessed with wanting to end DACA.
"For now, it's a relief," aeronautical engineer Irving Hernández, one of the Dreamers who lives near the border, told La Opinion.
“In the border communities we already live in a militarization of migration authorities and for us the risk is greater. If DACA were not followed, we would be at risk when going to work or shopping, in every day life, ”said the engineer born in the Mexican state of Guerrero.
According to the San Diego BorderDreamers organization, along the border with Mexico, one in five young people is a 'dreamer' – a term by which those protected under the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are known. ).
Immigration attorney Dulce Garcia – also a Mexican dreamer – estimated that without DACA's protection, the instant deportation plan could have expelled many young people from San Diego County to Tijuana in a matter of minutes.
The Alliance San Diego organization, one of the largest DACA promoters in the region, estimates that in San Diego County alone, there are about 50,000 young people who qualify for this program, which protects them from deportation.
Engineer Hernández explained that the fight to get DACA, "was never to get a job but to avoid deportations," a Trump election promise.
"This decision is so important to me and to the other DACA beneficiaries who live in the border region and face additional violence and coercion from a militarized border," he said.
“I am grateful to the Supreme Court for this important decision, but I know that our fight is far from over. Even with this decision, our lives continue in limbo and can change at any time, "as long as there are officials and legislators who use the DACA program as a" bargaining chip "in the negotiations, he said.
Michelle Celleri, a human rights attorney for the Alliance San Diego, said, "This victory may be short-lived … It provides temporary relief for DACA recipients, but the Trump Administration will continue to try to institutionalize their hate rhetoric. So it is important to vote this November. "
The Border Community Coalition, which represents all cities and towns along the border strip, confirmed that 20% of Dreamers in the country live in states that border Mexico, especially California.
The coalition said Thursday that “this is significant but temporary relief for young immigrants, as it is clear that the Trump Administration is obsessed with institutionalizing its hate rhetoric and deporting immigrants who are part of the fabric of this nation. The fight is far from over. "
He urged that in the November elections, immigrant and border communities motivate voters to support initiatives and candidates aimed at protecting immigrant communities, expanding public security and defending dignity and human rights.
Vicky Gaubeca, the coalition's executive director, said that now that young dreamers have a breather, they will have to resume the decision for a definitive change.
“The fight for a fair and equitable immigration policy is far from over. We need to move away from dangerous and deadly policies and take initiatives that uphold human rights, expand public security, and welcome all people to our nation. ”
