FBANC Statement in Support of DACA
The Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) celebrates the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 18, 2020 decision allowing the continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. “This is a great victory not just for Dreamers and their families, but also for our community as a whole,” said Mari Bandoma Callado, President of FBANC. The Supreme Court’s holding in The Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of Univ. of Cal., consolidated with Trump v. NAACP and Wolf v. Vidal temporarily protects 650,000-700,000 immigrants, the “Dreamers”, from deportation. While this reprieve for Dreamers is a welcome victory, the fight for justice and inclusion is far from over.
In a 5-4 majority opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the Court held that the Trump administration may not proceed with its plan to end the DACA program. The majority opinion emphasizes that the administration procedurally failed to provide an adequate reason to justify ending the program, but it also allows the Trump administration to renew its attempt to disband the DACA program.
President Obama issued an executive order in 2012 that created the DACA program, thereby providing temporary protection for individuals who entered the United States as children. Such an order was relied upon by thousands of Dreamers who emerged from the shadows to pursue educational degrees, begin careers and start businesses, purchase homes, and marry. FBANC recognizes the immoral and cruel impact caused by threats of the abolition of DACA, which to date still offers no pathway to citizenship for these Dreamers.
FBANC stands with the entire immigrant community, including our Filipinx-American brothers and sisters who live in constant fear of deportation from their home – the United States of America. FBANC urges you to continue fighting against these illegal and immoral attacks upon Dreamers who are here to stay.
FBANC’s prior statement supporting the continuation of DACA program can be found here.