“Dreamers” get city backing
The City Council adopted unanimously on Sept. 26 a resolution calling for federal action to renew, restore, extend and expand upon current protection from deportation for immigrants who came to the United States as children.
Under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program initiated under the Obama administration, children who meet certain requirements may apply for temporary protections against deportation and work permits.
In California, there are an estimated 200,000 DACA recipients, or “Dreamers” as they are also known, including many who live in Hayward, attend Hayward Unified School District, Chabot College and Cal State University East Bay, and are making important community contributions.
The resolution follows a Trump administration announcement on Sept. 5 stating that it will terminate DACA effective March 5, 2018.
That announcement drew widespread condemnation as unnecessary and callous, leaving “Dreamers” to contemplate being removed from the country they consider their own and for many the only country they have known.
