Washington – The Trump administration’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is endangering the health and well-being of more than 800,000 young adults who are in school or working, and striving to make a living in this country. National Health Law Program (NHeLP) Executive Director Elizabeth G. Taylor blasted the Trump administration for taking action that will harm communities.
“This kind of action harms all of us,” Taylor said. “Our communities are weaker when we deprive immigrants of resources that better their lives and enrich the country. These individuals came to this country as young children and have worked day after day and year after year to achieve the American Dream, often not even knowing they were undocumented until they wanted to obtain a driver’s license or apply for college just like their peers.”
NHeLP Managing Attorney of the D.C. office Mara Youdelman said, “Rolling back DACA is another callous act that will score political points with supporters of white supremacy, but place in jeopardy immigrants whose only goal was to contribute to this country.”
Youdelman continued, “Trump’s action shows how little concern he has for people who are not white or wealthy. His order will put in danger the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are in jobs and in school striving to make this a greater country. Trump, however, is seeking to deport these people. Trump’s action is morally repugnant. Congress should take immediate action to pass the DREAM Act to create a path to citizenship without ripping apart families and livelihoods.”
Please contact NHeLP Communications Director Jeremy Leaming at [email protected] or 202-552-5176 for further comment regarding the Trump administration’s rollback of DACA.
NHeLP, founded in 1969, advocates for the rights of low-income and underserved people to access quality health care.
