In Letter To Trump, California Attorney General Vows To Protect Dreamers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — California's top law enforcement official is reassuring undocumented immigrants who came into the United States as children that he stands with them, after his counterparts from other states put into question the executive action that protects these "Dreamers" from deportation in this country.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with attorneys general from 19 other states, on Friday released a letter urging President Donald Trump to protect DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which gives some of those people who entered the country as youngsters through no fault of their own relief from deportation.
"Since DACA's inception five years ago," the letter reads, "nearly 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to this country as children have been granted DACA status after paying application fees, submitting to and passing background checks and applying for work permits. Ending DACA would have an outsized effect on California, where more than 200,000 young people – more than a quarter of all DACA grantees nationwide – are working, paying taxes, contributing to California's economy and making their communities a better place to live."
The plea to protect the program was prompted by a threat from a group of 10 Republican state officials to sue the Trump administration if it does not put an end to it. The group, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, said it would challenge DACA's is constitutionality in court.
Just this week, Homeland Security Secretary Attorney General told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that DACA might not survive the legal challenge.
This makes many Dreamers like Cal State University, Los Angeles Senior Sofia fearful.
"I am a Dreamer," she told CBS2 News. "My dream is to make a mark on this world." She spoke at an event with Attorney General Becerra Friday, but was still afraid to provide CBS2 her last name.
Becerra and the other attorneys general are hoping Trump will protect other "kids" like Sofia.
"Mr. President, now is the time to affirm the commitment you made, both to the 'incredible kids' who benefit from DACA and to their families and our communities, to handle this issue 'with heart.' You said Dreamers should 'rest easy.' We urge you to affirm America's values and tradition as a nation of immigrants and make clear that you will not only continue DACA, but that you will defend it."
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