FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 22, 2022
Contact:
Michelle Boykins, Advancing Justice – AAJC, Mboykins@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Niketa Kumar, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, media@advancingjustice-alc.org
Liza Ameen, AJSOCAL, lameen@ajsocal.org
James Woo, Advancing Justice – Atlanta, jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Grace Pai, Advancing Justice | Chicago, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Denounces Congress’ Failure to Reach a DACA Deal
Immigrant Youth Urgently Need Pathways to Citizenship
CHICAGO, IL — As the end of the year approaches, Congress has failed to come to a deal on citizenship for immigrant youth, Temporary Protected Status recipients, and other immigrants. While DACA hangs on by a thread, this failure further threatens the future of undocumented youth and their families in the country they call home.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five independent civil rights organizations, responds with the following statement:
“There is no excuse for lawmakers that oppose a pathway to citizenship. Most Americans believe that our nation needs to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Time and time again, federal lawmakers have talked about finding a permanent solution, but our communities continue to be left with growing uncertainties about their futures and the futures of their families. As a result of anti-immigrant lawmakers’ refusal to protect immigrant young people from detention and deportation, millions of undocumented youth in our communities, including over 600,000 active DACA recipients, remain without a solution as DACA slowly dies in the courts.
“Undocumented youth are valued members of our community. They are our family, our neighbors, our teachers, our caretakers, and more. We utterly reject the false narratives that anti-immigrant lawmakers have pushed to justify their inaction during this Congress, and we call on elected officials to create an immigration system that works for all of us – from immigrant youth and undocumented neighbors and families to people fleeing unimaginable violence. These communities are in need of Congress’ protections and a place to call home. They should not be used as political pawns.
“Alongside our undocumented families and friends, we refuse to end the fight here. We will demand relief for undocumented communities until we win. Congress must act swiftly next year to pass a pathway to citizenship before hundreds of thousands of immigrants lose protection from deportation and the ability to work.”
###
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation’s members are: Advancing Justice | AAJC (Washington, DC), Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), Advancing Justice – Southern California (AJSOCAL), Advancing Justice – Atlanta, and Advancing Justice – Chicago.