Statement on President Trump's DACA Decision

Once more, we who are people of good will must resist the xenophobic policies of the President of the United States. His decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is President Trump doubling down on bad campaign rhetoric and turning it into harmful public policy. The nearly one million young people that this will affect nationwide are our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and union sisters and brothers.

The AFT-Maryland calls on our congressional representatives to support the Dream Act of 2017. Reach out to your congressional representatives now and tell them to support it. We hope members of Congress can accomplish what the White House will not; and that is the respect for the entirety of our American family who contribute to this great project called democracy. In closing I leave you with the thoughts of President Barack Obama:

"Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about who we are as a people – and who we want to be."

Please follow this link to take action, and urge Congress to pass the Dream Act.

In Solidarity,
Marietta A. English
President, AFT-Maryland

2017-09-05