Monterey County activists denounce DACA termination as ‘immoral’

SALINAS >> Immigrant rights activists had been expecting President Donald Trump would end a popular program to give temporary legal status to "dreamers."

So when the announcement was finally made early Tuesday, reaction was quick to follow. Many denounced Trump's actions as "callous," "immoral," and "devastating."

"We condemn this horrifying and counter-productive action," said Ricardo Nuñez Maravilla of the United Farm Workers Foundation at a press conference. "Donald Trump is scapegoating immigrants who have already been vetted by the federal government and are of no threat to our country."

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session announced Tuesday the Trump administration would stop processing new applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program enacted by the Obama administration five years ago. DACA, as the program is known, grants temporary legal status to people brought to the United States illegally as children. It has benefited an estimated 800,000 people.

Reaction was quick at national and local levels. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, compared Trump's actions to slamming the door on the face of young immigrants who, through no fault of their own, have lived illegally here.

"Dreamers who were brought here as children have proven to be essential to the future of our country," he said in a prepared statement. "As a result of his decision, these young people will be forced to leave the only country that they have called home and undocumented immigrant families will continue to live in fear of being split up."

It is unclear yet what will happen to "dreamers" as Congress is now debating the "Dream Act," legislation that would give these immigrants a path to legalization. But the original Dream Act was introduced 16 years ago and so far it's gotten nowhere.

Trump's administration also announced U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will continue to process renewals until Oct. 5 and for those whose permits expire through March 2018. Thus, activists are encouraging DACA recipients to renew if their permits expire within the next six months.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, about 15,000 immigrants in Monterey County are eligible for DACA, although about 4,000 still need to complete the education requirements such as having finished high school or earn a GED. It's unclear how many actually applied, but an estimated 243,000 applications from California had been received by USCIS as of March.

In anticipation of the announcements, activists had organized demonstrations at sites in Monterey, Salinas, Watsonville, and Santa Cruz. By 4:30 p.m. about two dozen protesters had gathered at the corner of North Sanborn and East Market in Salinas holding signs and chanting through bullhorns "Trump, listen, we're fighting."

"Even though I'm not (a DACA recipient) people I know and love are," said Karina Garcia, 26. "I want to fight for their rights."

Protests erupted through the country. At Trump Towers, about a dozen people were arrested when they blocked the street.

Francisco Caravez, 19, is one of the thousands of immigrants who has benefitted from DACA. He was brought to the United States when he was 2 and remembers nothing about the country that he said, using air quotes, "his."

"I'm not worried or stressed," he said. "I've known all the time my life was not going to be easy."

Caravez is studying at Hartnell College with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist. His DACA expired on Aug. 26 and he was just waiting to see what the administration would do before filing for renewal.

"I did not want my money to be wasted," he said.

At their press conference early Tuesday, representatives say they're hopeful a legislative change can take place.

"How can something take place? By uniting," Nuñez Maravilla said. "We have to put pressure, we have to show that the community is united and that will be our strength. We're going to continue fighting for changes at the Congressional level."