Tell 2020 Democratic candidates: End REAL ID

The petition to Democratic presidential candidates reads: "REAL ID puts a terrifying mark on undocumented people in the United States. Democrats should be working to fix the broken system, not finding new ways to target people without documentation. Pledge to End REAL ID now." Add your name:

In less than a year, the federal government will have a new and dangerous tool at its disposal to visibly mark and punish undocumented people. On Oct. 20, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security will require everyone who lives in the United States to use a REAL ID driver's license to board domestic flights or enter federal buildings.1 Immigrants and other people who do not have paperwork proving citizenship cannot get a REAL ID. They will have limited mobility and an alternative ID signaling that they could be undocumented. The REAL ID requirement is not about safety or uniformity. It is about requiring states to flag undocumented people so that law enforcement can easily identify them. But the next president can overturn this rule. Now, more than ever, we must make sure that Democratic 2020 candidates are working to fix our broken systems instead of finding new ways for more people to be targeted by the government. Tell 2020 Democratic candidates: End REAL ID. Click here to sign the petition. The REAL ID Act was signed in 2005 without meaningful debate. As with so many other post-9/11 policies, it was fueled by Islamophobia and xenophobia. Since 2005, opposition to REAL ID has grown. A number of states, concerned about privacy and the construction of a DHS national database of drivers, refused to comply, which pushed the deadline back years. Now states are now being forced to comply. The pushback may have died down, but the stakes are still high. Driver's licenses are essential to our communities. They allow people to legally drive, insure their vehicles, fly, and obtain services and housing, and REAL ID is a green light for discrimination.2 REAL ID is extremely dangerous because of this: Unequal access. Right now, DACA recipients can only obtain temporary REAL IDs. Undocumented immigrants cannot receive a REAL ID at all. And people who don't have their birth certificate or social security card or whose name is different than what is on their documentation will have a hard, if not impossible, time getting a REAL ID. Two-tiered system. If REAL ID replaces standard licenses, we will create a clear class of second-class Americans whose lack of a REAL ID marks them, limits their mobility and makes them suspect. Simply living in the United States will become even harder for those who can't access the REAL ID. Supercharged surveillance. With REAL ID, ICE, Border Patrol and local police would have the ability to pull from DMV databases to create their own records of who doesn't have a REAL ID. That data could be used by employers, landlords and banks to deny people work, housing, bank accounts and other financial services. We have than a year from the REAL ID deadline, abd 99 million people still don't have one.3 There is a significant chance that millions who are eligible will still be without REAL ID past the October 2020 deadline, which gives us leverage to stop the requirement. We need the 2020 Democratic candidates to pledge to end REAL ID now. Tell 2020 Democratic candidates: Reject REAL ID now. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/2020-dems-end-real-id?t=9&akid=35149%2E3130208%2ED_GKGC Jelani Drew, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Katia Hetter, "Is your ID good enough to travel? It may not be next year," CNN, Oct. 2, 2019. Alex Davies, "The Real ID Is Nearly Here, and You Can’t Fly Home Without It," Wired, Nov. 18, 2019. National Conference on State Legislature, "State Legislative Activity in Opposition to the Real ID," January 2014.

How to stand up to Trump Collusion and oust Kavanaugh

This Week in Trump Collusion” timeline:

→ Tuesday: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on charges of bank and tax fraud. THEN former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pled guilty to campaign finance violations.
→ Wednesday: The revelations on the Cohen investigation prompted Democrats to call for a delay on the confirmation process for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And New York state investigators issued a subpoena to Cohen as part of their investigation into the Trump Foundation.
→ Thursday: We found out that National Enquirer publisher David Pecker received immunity from federal prosecutors for providing information on the Trump and Cohen hush money investigations. After Trump threw a Twitter tantrum, and called Paul Manafort a “brave man,” it was reported that Trump is considering a pardon for Manafort (reminder: this is a big, glaring red line and we’ll be ready).
→ Hours before we wrote this email: News broke that Trump organization finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, would be granted immunity in the Cohen investigation as well.

Bottom line: Even before the continuing drip-drip of collusion, there were plenty of reasons for your senators to oppose Kavanaugh based on his record.

Brett Kavanaugh's record shows that he is willing to protect Trump from accountability for his corruption and crimes, dismantle environmental protections, and side with the wealthy and powerful over working people. 

Now, there’s no excuse for inaction. We know that Brett Kavanaugh does not believe a sitting president can be indicted, or should even be investigated. It’s clear that Trump engaged in criminal activity during the campaign, and he chose Kavanaugh in order to shield himself from accountability when the Supreme Court inevitably weighs in on Trump’s crimes and corruption.

That’s why it is imperative that we stop Kavanaugh now. Trump has hand-picked the Supreme Court nominee that would have the ability to exonerate him. Yet, there are 26 senators that are still undecided. That’s unacceptable.

Here’s how you hold your members of Congress (and Trump) accountable:

• Find out where your senators stand on Kavanaugh. Our policy team has put together a handy tracker to find out whether your senator has publicly opposed, supported, or is on the fence. If you want to go the extra mile, there are even judiciary staff contacts for each senator listed in the tracker that you can email to voice your opposition!
• Democratic senators must speak up. It’s important to publicly oppose Kavanaugh ahead of the confirmation hearings coming up on September 4. There are still key Democrats that need to voice their position, like Senators Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Manchin. And Senator Schumer must especially work to whip the votes and keep Democrats together.
• Flip key Republicans. We still haven’t heard Senator Murkowski’s stance, and though Senator Collins is leaning “yes,” that doesn’t mean that there isn’t enough time to change her mind with strong constituent opposition. You can find our updated call scripts here and start making calls on Monday.

Let’s keep our eyes on what’s important

On weeks where the news is chaos (or pretty much a dumpster fire), it’s important for us to not get distracted. There’s only one way to make sure that these fights stop coming down to the wire -- Vote. Them. Out. We need to #DoTheWork to vote out those members of Congress that either avoid their constituents or blatantly ignore their constituents needs. Here’s how you can do that:

✔️ Don’t wait another moment to register to vote.  Help your friends and family get registered, too! Check out our voter registration tool at indivisible.turbovote.org to get started.
✔️ Find an electoral event near you. So many Indivisible groups across the country are canvassing and holding phone or text bank drives. Find your local event on our map and get involved today.
✔️Support our IndivisiCandidates. Indivisible groups endorsed locally and nominated candidates for national endorsements. You can find our most recent list of 45!! Indivisible endorsed candidates here.

If your MoC hasn’t shown up to a town hall in months, if they only have private events during recess, or if they’ve consistently voted with the Trump administration despite their flooded phone lines -- 👏VOTE👏THEM👏OUT👏 and elect the people who have shown commitment and accountability to their communities.

- INDIVISIBLE 

Call now: Tell your Members of Congress "Let Dreamers stay!"

The clock is ticking for Dreamers.

Every day an estimated 122 Dreamers are losing their right to legally work, study, and even drive in the United States. Call your Members of Congress and demand a solution that lets Dreamers stay and contribute to the only country many of them have ever known.

Deporting Dreamers is as harmful to our economy as it is heartless:
1.3 million young people are DACA-eligible
They are paying more than $3 billion in taxes and are using more than $13 billion in spending power to fuel our local economy
DACA-eligible entrepreneurs earned $658.7 million in business income in 2015 alone

Click here to make a call to Congress using statistics for your state.

Congress needs to act now.

Take Action:

1) First, enter your address and zip code below.

The contact info for your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators will appear.


2) Once their numbers appear, call your Representative and tell them the following:

"I'm [Name] and a constituent of Representative [Name]. I urge him/her to support a solution for Dreamers now. Dreamers have proven that they're law-abiding, hard-working young people by submitting to rigorous background checks and serving in the military or working towards a college degree.

In the United States, 1.3 million DACA-eligible young people are paying more than $3 billion in taxes and using more than $13 billion in spending power to fuel our local economy.

These are exactly the kinds of immigrants we should be supporting, not deporting. Let’s fulfill our promise to allow these outstanding young immigrants to fulfill their potential and work towards their American Dream. Thank you."

3) When you're done with your Representative's office, call your two Senators at their numbers and tell them the following:

"I'm [Name] and a constituent of Senator [Name]. I urge him/her to support a solution for Dreamers now. Dreamers have proven that they're law-abiding, hard-working young people by submitting to rigorous background checks and serving in the military or working towards a college degree.

In the United States, 1.3 million DACA-eligible young people are paying more than $3 billion in taxes and using more than $13 billion in spending power to fuel our local economy.

These are exactly the kinds of immigrants we should be supporting, not deporting. Let’s fulfill our promise to allow these outstanding young immigrants to fulfill their potential and work towards their American Dream. Thank you."

For Arizona residents:

I have had better luck calling local offices.

Sen. John McCain

Phoenix Office
P. 602-952-2410
F. 855-952-8702

Tucson Office
P. 520-670-6334 
F. 855-952-8702

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Sen. Jeff Flake

Phoenix Office
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232

https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

Tell Congress: Stop using children as political pawns. Pass DACA and CHIP

After kicking the can down the road three times since last September, congressional leaders -- led by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan -- have had months to find a long-term solution to fund the federal government. 

They still haven't. 

Throughout this process, they've played partisan games with children's health insurance, and offered no serious solutions for the hundreds of thousands of young DACA recipients waiting for help -- despite consensus across the aisle to protect DREAMers.

This looming shutdown isn't about federal funding, or unsolvable political differences.

It's about ignoring a growing bipartisan consensus. The American people, overwhelmingly, want to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and protect the 800,000 young immigrants who know America as their only home. 

This shutdown fight is about Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, along with the White House, refusing to do the right thing because of politics. It's about them playing to the most conservative members of their caucus instead of truly governing for the majority.

This is unacceptable, and it's proof of what we've known all along: Congressional leadership cannot govern responsibly. It's time we hold them accountable. Call a key senator today: 

https://www.ofa.us/take-action/call-congress/

SAMPLE SCRIPT

Hi, I'm [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR HOMETOWN AND STATE]. 

I'm calling to urge you to work across the aisle to fund CHIP and protect DACA recipients. There are millions of uninsured children who need health care, and hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who go to our schools, serve in our military, contribute to our communities, and know this country as their home. They deserve permanent protection.

We shouldn't have to decide between taking care of kids and funding the government. Please, stop toying with the idea of a government shutdown and come up with a bipartisan solution to fund both of these programs - millions of lives depend on it.

Arizona citizens - here is your contact information. 

Sen. John McCain

P. 202-224-2235
F. 202-228-2862

Phoenix Office
P. 602-952-2410
F. 855-952-8702

Tucson Office
P. 520-670-6334
F. 855-952-8702

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Sen. Jeff Flake

P. 202-224-4521
F: 202-228-0515

Phoenix Office
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232

https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

More information:

G.O.P. to Use Children’s Health Insurance as Lure for Averting Shutdown

Children’s health insurance has become a political hostage

#DACA #CHIP

Democrats failed to hold the line for Dreamers!

Last night, both the House and Senate passed a “continuing resolution” (CR) to keep the government open for another two weeks. The House passed the CR 235-193, with 18 Republicans voting no and 14 Democrats voting yes. Just two hours later, the Senate passed their CR 81-14.

Let’s be clear: in practical terms this was a vote to deport Dreamers. Democrats didn't use their leverage to push for a clean dream act before the deadline.

In the next two weeks, 1,708 Dreamers will lose their protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era executive action that allowed them to apply for work permits and live without fear of deportation.

Democrats had real leverage in this fight, but just eight -- Kamala Harris (CA), Mazie Hirono (HI), Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren (MA), Cory Booker (NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), and Bernie Sanders (VT) -- held their ground, stood up for Dreamers, and voted no.

Here’s what we need you to do:

• Check the vote tally to find out how your Senator voted.
• Read our call scripts on dreamerpledge.org.
• Call 1-855-980-2355 and you’ll be connected with one of your Senators. Use our script to inform your conversation with the Senators’ staff. Call back again and you’ll be connected to your other Senator.

Get loud. Stay mad. Do what you can to keep the pressure up for the next two weeks. #dreamers, #DACA

- The Indivisible Team

Tell your Rep: Protect Dreamers! Pass the Dream Act!

Call 1-888-778-6856 to be connected to your Members of Congress. Simply tell them your name, where you are from, and urge them to support immigrant youth by doing everything they can to pass a clean Dream Act by the end of the year. It will take only five minutes of your time, but will make a big difference.

Every day that Congress fails to pass a clean Dream Act, an average of 122 DACA recipients lose their status and protection. Since President Trump rescinded DACA, more than 10,000 undocumented youth are no longer legally allowed to work or protected from deportation.

-Hilary, Renata, Antonio, and Evelyn

Note from Jana: I actually got a hold of Rep. McSally's staffer with this number!

Hold Rep. McSally to her word. Call now to tell her to support a clean DREAM ACT.

DACA recipients deserve better. They deserve representatives who follow through on the promises our country made to them. They deserve more than being unfairly held in limbo as part of a backroom deal to build a wall, or cut legal immigration.

We're still waiting for Rep. Martha McSally to deliver -- and we know exactly how she can:

She can refuse the outrageous immigration demands the White House just released. She can refuse to use DACA recipients as a bargaining chip to pass bad policies that put the rest of the immigrant community in danger.

She can help bring a clean version of the DREAM Act -- the only solution that gives permanent protection to these young people, along with a real path to citizenship -- to the House floor for a vote, without delay.

The deadline to submit DACA renewal applications has passed, leaving the futures of hundreds of thousands of young people up in the air. Just weeks ago, Rep. McSally made a promise to protect DACA recipients:


It's time for her to lead the way.

These young people deserve a clean DREAM Act. Call now and make sure Rep. McSally knows it:

Make the call

-Saumya Narechania
Organizing for Action

Tell Trump: NO DEAL. Dreamers won't be bargaining chips.

The White House just released a white supremacist wish list of demands, including Trump's ridiculous border wall, the Department of Homeland Security’s new rule on recording and sharing the social media activities of all immigrants and a denial of federal funds for sanctuary cities - in exchange for protecting Dreamers like Abril Gallardo.

As Abril explained, and as we've said again and again, Dreamers will NOT be used as bargaining chips for Trump's hateful anti-immigrant agenda.

Help us tell Trump: NO DEAL. Keep urging Congress to pass a clean Dream Act!

Trump's repeal of DACA (Deferred Access for Childhood Arrivals) has left the lives and livelihoods of 800,000 undocumented youth and their families at risk.

Congress must pass a permanent solution immediately in the form of a clean DREAM Act that protects DACAmented youth without any amendments or deals that promote Trump’s mass deportation machine.

Contact your Members of Congress (both senators and representative) on social media, email, and phone to demand a #CleanDreamAct now!

-Ana Maria Archila
CPD Action


Sen. Jeff Flake:

Washington, D.C. Office
P: 202-224-4521
F: 202-228-0515

Phoenix Office
2200 East Camelback Road, Suite 120
Phoenix, AZ 85016
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
6840 North Oracle Road, Suite 150
Tucson, AZ 85704
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232

Sen. John McCain:

Washington Office
Main: (202) 224-2235
Fax: (202) 228-2862

Phoenix Office

2201 East Camelback Road, Suite 115
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Main: (602) 952-2410
Fax: (855) 952-8702

Tucson Office
407 West Congress Street, Suite 103
Tucson, AZ 85701
Main: (520) 670-6334
Fax: (855) 952-8702

Comments needed: Trump’s DHS is spying on immigrants

The comment to the Department of Homeland Security reads: “The Department of Homeland Security’s new rule on recording, and sharing the social media activities of all immigrants and anyone who interacts with them online with other federal agencies, is xenophobic and unacceptable. I strongly oppose this policy. The DHS and other federal agencies should not be singling out or surveilling any American simply because they were born in another country.”

Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is taking the federal government’s online surveillance of immigrants to new and dangerous levels. The DHS just introduced a rule that would expand the immigration records of visa holders, permanent residents and naturalized citizens to include their social media accounts, search results and online conversations.1 We cannot remain silent while an administration led by a bigot who thinks Nazis and white supremacists are “very fine people,” scapegoats, criminalizes and spies on immigrants. The DHS is accepting public comments on its new rule until Oct. 18. This is a timely opportunity for us to document the massive public opposition to Trump’s craven attempts to undermine the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants. Help us flood the DHS with comments opposing this new anti-immigrant policy now. Reject Trump’s xenophobic profiling of immigrants. Click here to submit your comment. To be clear: The DHS has been monitoring the online activities of foreign nationals for years, but its new rule extends online surveillance records to include the social media activities of lawful permanent residents, naturalized citizens and anyone who interacts with them online. This is an unprecedented and dangerous new step. The DHS should not spy on Americans just because they were born in another country. Its new policy could prevent immigrants from exercising their right to free speech, voicing dissent and communicating with family members and other support systems online. There is no reason to suspect the millions of immigrants in the United States of criminal behavior, but that has not stopped Trump from data mining immigrants’ social media profiles in the name of public safety.2 After the election, Customs and Border Patrol quietly began asking foreign nationals for their social media handles at border crossings throughout the country.3 Then in February, Trump’s DHS unveiled a new visa survey that requires applicants to provide 15 years of detailed travel history, a complete work history and social media handles and email addresses going back five years.4 Trump's xenophobic administration is intentionally making an already extensive visa vetting process even more complicated to keep immigrants out of the country. With new administrative barriers, like Trump’s visa survey, and increased online surveillance, the DHS is positioned to jam up and reject more visa applicants because of minor mistakes on their forms and ungrounded assumptions about their potential threat to public safety based on their social media activity. Trump’s DHS is so committed to violating the civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants, and every person who interacts with them online that it is already planning to ignore the public comments on its rule-making. The public comment period for its new rule closes on the same day the rule goes into effect. CREDO will work with allies to challenge this anti-immigrant policy on every front once the DHS starts to enforce it, but we are also teaming up with our friends at Center for Media Justice, Demand Progress, Presente and United We Dream now to draw as much attention as possible to Trump’s deplorable actions and put our opposition into the public record. Reject Trump’s xenophobic profiling of immigrants. Click the link below to submit your comment: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/dhs_socialmedia?t=7&akid=25351%2E3130208%2EslMjzQ - Nicole Regalado CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Joel Rose, “Federal Plan To Keep Files Of Immigrant Social Media Activity Causes Alarm,” NPR, Sept. 30, 2017. Lily Hay Newman, “Feds monitoring social media does more harm than good,” Wired, Sept. 28, 2017. Edward Helmore, “US government collecting social media information from foreign travelers,” The Guardian, Dec. 26, 2016. Drew Schwartz, “You Need Superhuman Memory to Fill Out Trump’s New Visa Survey,” Vice, June 1, 2017.

Parents of DACA recipients are not criminals. Tweet, email, and call your Senators today to demand a clean DREAM Act!

Abril wrote, 

I’m a student, an activist, and a DACA recipient.

I’ve been living in Arizona since my family fled violence in Mexico when I was 12 years old. My parents brought us to the States to keep us safe and to give my three brothers and I access to a good education.

Thousands of Dreamers like me are now in limbo because of Trump’s repeal of DACA, the program that has protected undocumented youth from deportation. And today is the last day for Dreamers to renew their status.

Dreamers urgently need legislation that allows us to continue to live and work and go to school in the country we call home. But we refuse to be bargaining chips for the criminalization of our parents.

My two younger brothers and I have DACA, but my parents and my older brother who aged out of the program are undocumented. What good would it be for me to have protection if it means tripling their risk of deportation and separating our family?

This is why it’s so important for Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act that protects immigrant youth, but doesn’t include any strings attached, like increased border militarization or more enforcement of Trump’s massive deportation machine.

Tweet, email, and call your Members of Congress today to demand a clean DREAM Act!

My Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, along with Rep. Martha McSally, say they care about us and will protect us, but it’s time for them to follow up their words with actions. The same goes for all of Congress.

Dreamers decided to step out of the shadows in the fight for immigration reform, and in 2012, we won DACA. But because of the lack of Congressional leadership, it was a temporary solution, and has now been revoked by Trump.

It’s time for our communities to come together again – not only undocumented immigrants and Dreamers, but everyone who understands that separating families, deporting, and incarcerating people is not the answer to make this country a place where everyone can thrive.

For me, thriving means my dad driving our family to church without fear of getting pulled over and detained. It means my brother going to the doctor without worrying that something might happen on the way there. It means I can finish getting my Bachelor’s degree in Community Advocacy and help move policy that brings true equity and inclusion for communities of color.

Help my family and thousands of others like us continue to thrive in America. Contact your Members of Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act now!

In solidarity,

Abril Gallardo

Glendale, AZ

Member of LUCHA, CPD Action’s Arizona affiliate

You can also get number to call key senators here. 

Here is an example of how a conversation could start (or you can just wing it!):

Hello, I’m [Your Name], I would like to speak to you about DACA and the DREAM ACT.

1) Donald Trump’s decision to end DACA will put up to 800,000 immigrant youth at risk of deportation.

2) The Senate has the opportunity to turn Trump’s step backwards into a step forward for immigrant rights by supporting the DREAM Act.

3) Will you co-sponsor the DREAM Act to create bipartisan solutions to protect undocumented youth from deportation?

Thank you for your time. 

Use this script to call your senators to defend DACA

President Trump rescinded DACA. We have six months to get Congress to act. In a cruel and heartless act earlier this week, President Trump rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA meant that nearly 800,000 people were able to work and go to school without the fear of deportation for the first time in their lives.  We now have six months to get Congress to pass a bill to protect DACA recipients. We are asking you to call your three Members of Congress this week. Click here to easily find their phone numbers.  At the bottom of this email, we have provided simple, 30-second scripts that you can use for each call.

Use this script to call your senators. Hi, my name is __________ and I'm a constituent.  I am appalled by the president's decision to end DACA and I am calling to ask Senator ______ to support a clean DREAM Act and to work to bring it up for a vote immediately.  The president's decision to end DACA puts 800,000 lives in limbo and negatively impacts all Americans. DACA recipients are critical members of our communities.  They pay taxes, attend college, serve in our military, and strengthen our economy.  Ending DACA could reduce the U.S. GDP by more than $400 billion over the next decade. DACA recipients are our teachers, co-workers, friends, and neighbors. And without DACA, they are vulnerable to deportation. Again, I am a constituent and I need Senator _________ to support and vote for the DREAM Act.  Thank you.

Use this script to call your representative. Hi, my name is _____________ and I'm a constituent.  I am appalled by the president's decision to end DACA and I am calling to ask Representative _____________ to support a clean Hope Act and to work to bring it up for a vote immediately. The president's decision to end DACA puts 800,000 lives in limbo and negatively impacts all Americans. DACA recipients are critical members of our communities. They pay taxes, attend college, serve in our military, and strengthen our economy. Ending DACA could reduce the U.S. GDP by more than $400 billion over the next decade. DACA recipients are our teachers, co-workers, friends, and neighbors. And without DACA, they are vulnerable to deportation. Again, I am a constituent and I need Representative _________ to support and vote for the Hope Act. Thank you. - Hilary Linder, Indivisible

Sign the petition: Protect these cherished members of our community

The petition to Congress reads: “Pass clean legislation to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with no strings attached and block all right-wing attempts to use DACA as a bargaining chip to insert legislative poison pills to expand immigration enforcement, wall off our borders, or ramp-up attacks on other immigrants and refugees.” Add your name:

The white supremacist in chief just struck again. Donald Trump killed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and put more than 800,000 immigrants at risk of deportation.1 DACA gave immigrants who came to the United States as children, known as Dreamers, the ability to obtain driver’s licenses and work permits and live safely in the only country many of them have ever known. President Obama created DACA after thousands of undocumented young people took the risk to come out of the shadows and fight for protected status. Trump knows that ending DACA is cruel and unpopular. He was too cowardly to make the announcement himself and has now put Dreamers’ fate in Congress’ hands. Republicans in Congress have had a bigoted, anti-immigrant agenda for years. And Trump premised his entire administration on a racist war on immigrants. Now, Trump and his racist party want to use Dreamers as a bargaining chip to advance their hateful agenda and put other immigrants at risk. Now more than ever, we must stand with our allies in the immigrant rights movement and make our demands crystal clear: No trade-offs. No compromises. Democrats and Republicans of good conscience must pass clean legislation to reinstate DACA with no strings attached. They must also stop right-wing extremists from using Dreamers as a bargaining chip and inserting legislative poison pills to expand immigration enforcement, build Trump’s wall or shut down our borders. Can you add your name? Tell Congress: Immediately restore and expand DACA by passing clean legislation without any poison pills from the extreme right wing. Click here to sign the petition. When Trump set his anti-immigrant agenda in motion, he said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would focus on removing dangerous criminals from the country and told DACA beneficiaries that they could “rest easy.” Trump was lying. His rogue deportation force has targeted and attacked all immigrants since day one of his racist regime. Going after Dreamers is just another way to advance his white supremacist agenda and terrorize immigrant communities. Racist, anti-immigrant attorneys general from 10 states threatened to sue the Department of Justice if it did not end DACA by Sept. 5.2 Their threats gave Trump license to kill the program. Trump says he admires Dreamers, but he is a coward and a liar. His attempt to shift the burden to Congress and give them six months to act is nothing more than a desperate attempt to appear compassionate and use Dreamers as political cover to advance his reckless and dangerous anti-immigrant agenda. Trump is now planning to phase out DACA, saying that current DACA beneficiaries will not be impacted until March 2018. But we cannot trust him to keep his word. To protect Dreamers, Congress must take bold action immediately. Democrats and Republicans have already introduced the 2017 DREAM Act and The American Hope Act, sister bills that would restore and expand DACA.3 If Congress passes the 2017 DREAM Act as-is, with no amendments, it would: Immediately protect current Dreamers from deportation. Raise the program’s age entry requirement to 18. Immigrants who entered the country before the age of 18 would qualify for DACA under the new law. Expand eligibility for DACA to include college students, members of the military, workers and full-time caregivers of minor children. Add new paths to citizenship for Dreamers. Dreamers embody the spirit of the United States in a way that small minded xenophobic Republicans like Trump will never understand. They came to the United States with parents who made the courageous and extremely difficult decision to leave their families, communities and countries of birth behind in the hopes of building better lives. Some families are displaced by war, others by climate change or corporate greed. All are seeking refuge, freedom from persecution and better economic opportunities for their families. There is nothing more American than that. Trump’s attacks on immigrants are attacks on the very fabric of our nation. We must push Congress to act now. Tell Congress: Immediately restore and expand DACA by passing clean legislation without any poison pills from the extreme right wing. Click here to sign the petition. Government funding is set to expire at the end of September, and Trump has threatened to shut down the government if Congress does not approve funding for his southern border wall in a broader must-pass government funding bill.4 Our activism pushed Senate Democrats to block funding for Trump’s wall before. Together, we can do it again. That is why CREDO is teaming up with our friends at United We Dream to make sure Democrats and Republicans of good conscience advance strong legislation to reinstate and expand DACA and stop anti-immigrant Republicans from leveraging the program to ramp-up immigration enforcement or wall off our borders. Restoring DACA will not protect all immigrants from Trump’s hate, but it would bring us one step closer to reaching that goal. Can you help us make sure Congress takes a stand for Dreamers and does not use them as bargaining chips? Tell Congress: Immediately restore and expand DACA by passing clean legislation without any poison pills from the extreme right wing. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/trump_daca?t=8&akid=24838%2E3130208%2ERoIP1P - Nicole Regalado CREDO Action from Working Assets P.S. Click here to find an emergency #DefendDACA event near you. Add your name: References: Matthew Yglesias, "Trump isn’t delivering his own DACA policy because he’s cowardly and weak," Vox, Sept. 5, 2017. Molly Ball, "How Immigration Hardliners Are Forcing Trump's Hand on DACA, The Atlantic, Aug. 31, 2017. E. A. Crunden, "Sweeping new effort aims to protect undocumented immigrants," ThinkProgress, July 28, 2017. Matthew Cooper, "Wake Trump up when September ends: President, Congress face debt limit, government shutdown deadlines," Newsweek, Aug. 28, 2017.