SAALT Demands A Clean DREAM Act Without Compromises

In response to reports of a deal on DACA made by Democratic leadership and the President, with rumors of increased border enforcement provisions included in that agreement, Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national civil rights and racial justice organization, released the following statement:

“We demand a clean DREAM Act, without any compromises on increased border enforcement that will negatively impact immigrant families. Last week’s cruel termination of DACA by President Trump is just the latest in this administration’s toxic anti-immigrant policies. Over 800,000 lives reduced to bargaining chips for a more militarized border is unconscionable, unacceptable, and un-American. Democratic leadership including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi must stand up for DREAMers, stand up for our country’s ideals of equality and fairness for all people, and stand against this administration’s anti-immigrant policies.”

“Over 27,000 Asian Americans, including 5,500 Indians and Pakistanis, have already received DACA. An additional estimated 17,000 individuals from India and 6,000 from Pakistan respectively are eligible for DACA, placing India in the top ten countries for DACA eligibility. These families are at risk of deportation and must be protected, not with a wall or more armed forces on the border, but with a roadmap to citizenship for aspiring new Americans.”

“This is a category 5 administration, threatening millions of people who find themselves in its path, forced to hide underground and in the shadows for any hope of survival. A climate change of hate is to blame, with anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim policies blustering and wreaking havoc across our nation. Reversing this trend, before it’s too late, is the need of the hour, and it must begin with a clean DREAM Act without compromises.”