RWDSU members joined thousands of other New Yorkers outside of Trump Hotel on New York City’s Central Park to rally and march to Trump Tower on fifth Avenue to support DACA. DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – allows undocumented immigrants who come to the United States as children, also known as Dreamers, temporary work permits and protects them from deportation if they submit biometric data to the government, pass a background check and maintain a clean record. The program has provided temporary status and work permits to roughly 800,000 immigrants since its inception in 2012. In New York state, 42,000 people have benefited, according to community group Make The Road New York. It’s helping students and workers give back to their communities and pursue their dreams.
Chanting “education not deportation” and “immigrants are welcome here,” the marchers carried signs supporting DACA and opposing policies that would tear communities and families apart. Ending DACA would also cost the city of New York an estimated $460 billion.