Contact: Jon Rodney, 510-207-9520
Breaking: SF immigrant groups gather to denounce plan to end DACA, will fight for all immigrants
What: Immigrant, civil rights, and faith groups will hold an emergency news conference to condemn the President’s cruel and unjust decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months. The organizations will also announce plans for 5PM rally today. The groups are organizing to defend both DACA recipients and all 11 million undocumented immigrants from the administration’s deportation machine. Speakers will include immigrant youth and community leaders who will react to the announcement, immigration attorneys who will provide know-your-rights information.
When and where:
- Press conference: 11:00 AM, SF City Hall
- Rally: 5:00 PM, New Federal Building, 90 – 7th St
Who: Organized by the FREE SF and SFILEN coalitions and Bay Resistance. Speakers at 11 AM press conference to include directly affected immigrant youth, legal experts; SF Supes Ronen, Fewer, and Kim expected.
Background: The termination of DACA is the latest in a series of xenophobic attacks from a White House entangled with white supremacy and determined to criminalize immigrants and communities of color. In the aftermath of the President’s outrageous decision, immigrant rights organizers are stepping up the fight to defend the human rights and dignity of both DACA recipients and all 11 million undocumented immigrants nationwide, who are a vital and inseparable part of our communities.
Advocates note that local organizing efforts in the Bay Area have led to major victories such as San Francisco’s Sanctuary and Due Process for All ordinances, which help ensure local authorities do not act as deportation agents and also keep city institutions safe and accessible for all. A constellation of other inclusive local and state policies offer additional support and protection, and organizers are working hard to expand and fortify these protections. Community groups see the fight for immigrant rights as part of a larger fight to uphold racial, social, and economic justice for all people.
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