FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, October 6, 2022
Press Contact: Jessica Ortiz, [email protected]

“DACA was never meant as a permanent solution to protect immigrants and undocumented people in this country.”

TEXAS – In response to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision which ruled that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is illegal, RAICES issued the following statement:

“The 5th Circuit Court’s decision reinforces what immigrant rights advocates have been saying for years: relying on the courts to defend DACA has always been a temporary fix to a permanent problem. Today we ask Congress and the Biden administration to keep their promises and act now to create a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented people in the United States.

“RAICES supports thousands of DACA recipients and helps hundreds of undocumented youth file new applications in Texas every year, and many of our staff members are DACA recipients. If DACA were to be eliminated, the roughly 800,000 DACA recipients across the country would lose their ability to work and could face deportation. Texas is the second largest home state to DACA recipients.

“DACA was never enough to protect immigrants and undocumented people in this country. We need a permanent solution that provides a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants.

“The ongoing legal battle over DACA has spread fear and confusion throughout our community and the workforce. We want to make sure that people with current DACA status understand that for the time being, they can continue renewing, and new applicants can file their first application without receiving a decision.”

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The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. Learn more at Raicestexas.org

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