By Randall Yip, AsAmNews Executive Editor
A coalition of immigrant groups this morning called on President Biden to act immediately to prevent the mass deportation promised by President-elect Trump.
Negotiations are underway in Congress to keep the federal government funded by a Friday deadline. Advocates fear a budget bill will include money that could help Trump implement his deportation plans which he has indicated could include legal citizens who are children of undocumented parents.
“This budget could enable mass deportations. We cannot let this happen. Together we call on members of Congress to hear our voice and feel the pressure to take a stand,” said Jung Woo Kim, co-executive director of NAKASEC or the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium.
NAKASEC joined other partners in the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) network in demanding:
- No anti-immigration policies in any temporary spending bills to keep the government running.
- Reduce funding for immigration enforcement and detentions in all budget negotations.
- A no vote on any deal that funds mass deportation.
NAKASEC is asking supporters to join them in what it is calling a national phone dogging campaign to lobby Congress on Wednesday.
It is just one of several activities taken place this week in an “Immigrants Rise Up” Week of Action.
“The time for action is now,” said Erica Castro, a DACA recipient who has lived in Las Vegas for 30 years since the age of 3.
“In Nevada, Trump MAGA extremists including our Governor (Joe) Lombardo and 25 other Republican governors across the country want to scapegoat immigrant communities. Make no mistake, the mass deportation plan will devastate every community in the country regardless of immigration status,” said Castro.
During a virtual news conference, Castro demanded that Biden increase capacity to handle the immigration case load instead of funneling more money into enforcement. She also asked that he used his executive power to extend Temporary Protected Status to those from 16 countries deemed too dangerous for immigrants to return to. Nepal and Burma are among about a dozen countries which TPS status is set to end sometime next year.
Christelle Nguemna has lived in the United States for 10 years. She is from Cameroon, a country with TPS status that is set to expire in June.
“Our lives with our children are at stake,” she said. “I’m asking for a future where my son can grow up with the promise of safety and opportunity. Not with the fear of being turned away from everything we have worked for so hard. Please Mr. President, don’t let us fall through the cracks.”
Five TPS recipients and their supporters plan to stage a hunger strike in front of the White House beginning tomorrow to dramatize their plight.
“The least you can do for immigrants right now is to extend and redesignate TPS for those countries that qualify and let us get organized and be ready to confront the reality,” said Jose Palma, a TPS recipient from El Salvador.
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