Houston, TX – Over the weekend, United We Dream Action (UWDA) and over 50 immigrant youth leaders from Texas and 17 other states came together in a mass canvassing effort in Harris County. The major push is a response to the forthcoming Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Texas v United States, a lawsuit seeking to end DACA led by Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Despite overwhelming national support for DACA and the significant financial and social benefits it produces, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading the right-wing charge against the program. Currently, over 600,000 DACA recipients are safe from the threat of deportation and detention but 80,000 people’s applications are stalled as a result of a summer 2021 ruling from a federal court in Texas.
You can access photos and videos here. All credit to United We Dream Action.
Jordan Balderas, UWDA Member and canvass participant from Harris County, said:
“Whether you live in Bellaire, the Third Ward, or Magnolia Park, all Houstonians want a place to call home without having to live with the fear that one day they could be separated from their loved ones and their community. That’s why it was so important for me to join over 50 other UWDA members – some flying in from other states – to talk to my community members in Houston and Harris County about the fate of the DACA program.
Unfortunately, certain Texas politicians want to waste time and resources to end DACA, and upend the lives of over 100,000 Texans with DACA. Instead of solving the problems of everyday working Texans – like making sure we have a working power grid, or ensuring all students are free to learn the truth about our history – some politicians spread lies about who immigrant youth with DACA are as a way to scare people into supporting them. But they’re not slick, we know their strategy and we also know that the majority of Texans care and look out for each other. Any day now a negative ruling from the anti-immigrant Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals could end DACA as we know it, throwing into limbo the lives of many of my friends. I’m proud to continue volunteering with UWDA to show politicians that immigrants are Here to Stay!”