We Are Home Campaign: Citizenship Now, DACA is Not Enough

For Immediate Release: September 28, 2021

We Are Home Campaign: Citizenship Now, DACA is Not Enough

Democrats have the power to deliver for millions of people this year

Washington, D.C. – This week, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a new rule for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in response to a ruling earlier this year by a federal judge in Texas that prevented new applicants from joining the program. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as eight other Republican attorneys general, have led the fight against DACA. They sued the federal government in an effort to end the program and leave hundreds of thousands of young immigrants vulnerable to deportation.

The We Are Home Campaign is encouraging the public to comment on the rule and also make it clear to the Biden administration that while DACA is currently protecting hundreds of thousands of people from deportation and provides them a work permit, it is not enough and leaves millions of people behind.

Bridgette Gomez, Campaign Director for the We Are Home campaign said:

“Since the beginning of the year, the We Are Home campaign has had one goal: winning a path to legalization for millions of immigrants. Our goal has not changed and our motivation has not wavered. Judge Hanen’s ruling earlier this year reminded us how frail the DACA program is, and how thousands of young immigrants remain in limbo unable to apply for deportation relief and a work permit since the Trump administration fought to end DACA.

“The Biden administration’s new rule does little to address the risk that millions of immigrants still live under, and instead adds to confusion and uncertainty at this moment. Democrats won the House, Senate and White House in an effort to chart a course different from the previous administration, and that includes passing transformative legislation that improves lives. Citizenship for millions remains incredibly popular among the American people and Democrats have the power to ensure an equitable recovery from COVID by using every lever of power that they have to include legalization in a reconciliation package this year.”

We Are Home is a nationwide campaign to fight for immigrant communities on three fronts: prioritizing and demanding a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in America; a moratorium and overhaul of interior enforcement; and broad affirmative relief from deportation. We Are Home is co-chaired by Community Change/Community Change Action; National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)/Care in Action; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); United Farm Workers/UFW Foundation; and United We Dream.

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