Received this e0mail yesterday from former NAACP Chairman Ben Jealous’ (D. MD) gubernatorial campaign:
As Republicans continue their efforts to strip away healthcare from millions of Americans, and ignore evidence of Russian collusion, their allies at the state and local level are busy undermining protections for Dreamers.
A group of Republican attorneys general is working to pressure President Trump to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, better known as DACA.
This law protects children of undocumented immigrants who are brought to this country at a young age. There are approximately 800,000 young people protected under DACA. They grew up here, attended school here, and are contributing to their communities and economy. These children are Americans.
Donald Trump claims he doesn’t “wish to do harm to Dreamers,” but without bipartisan legislation to protect them, 800,000 flourishing young people risk being torn away from their families and the only life they know.
Add your name to tell Donald Trump to protect DACA.
At the helm of the NAACP, I was able to ensure the passage of the DREAM Act in Maryland. And through our work, we heard your stories and learned so much about those directly affected by this legislation.
Across the country, an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in a permanent second-class status. Many immigrants come to the U.S. to find a better life, but find themselves living in the shadows, in constant fear of arrest and deportation. This segregation has a cost, especially for the children of immigrants.
The DREAM Act provides an opportunity for all Maryland students to have equal access to higher education. This is a crucial step toward building socially and economically healthy communities. Marylanders recognize that we may have come to this country in different boats, but we are all rowing together now. Now, we must stand up, once again, to protect these Dreamers nationwide.
As Dr. King said, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." We have a responsibility to stand up for social justice whenever it is violated and stand with our young people chasing the American Dream.
In power,
Ben Jealous