Issued August 15, 2017
WASHINGTON—SEIU International Executive Vice President and iAmerica Action president Rocio Sáenz issued the following statement on the 5th anniversary of DACA’s implementation:
“Today, as we celebrate the nearly 800,000 young immigrants, often known as DREAMers, our hearts are filled with sadness over last Saturday's horrific act of terrorism in Charlottesville. Immigrant communities are among those who were under attack, but we are not cowering and we will not back down. We are using today's anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to rededicate ourselves to fighting for justice and fairness for all people in our country, whether the attacks occur against our communities in Charlottesville or are orchestrated against immigrants by extremist Republicans and the Trump administration.
“The DREAMers who have lived, worked legally, and studied in America for years and contributed so much to their communities and economy, are now threatened along with more than 300,000 workers who are protected under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). We must recommit ourselves to defending DACA and TPS and fight back against the extremists who want to strip away legal status from people who are working hard and trying to build a better life for their families.
“SEIU’s 2 million members, more than 400,000 of whom are immigrants, have the ability to speak out and be heard because they are joined together in a union. They are going to continue raising their voices on behalf of DREAMers and TPS beneficiaries. Together we will continue calling on the Trump administration to protect DACA and TPS and work towards common sense policies that protect immigrant families and provide a path to citizenship.
“We won’t stop until all people have the ability to fully contribute to our economy and communities, have a say at work and in our political system through unions, and everyone has the chance to thrive.”