Viral

Immigration Activists React With An Outpouring Of Emotion After The Trump Administration Ends DACA

by: Uproxx authors
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As the news that the Trump administration really will be rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has crackled across news channels and Twitter feeds, certain words kept cropping up in a variety of Americans’ gut reactions, from tech CEOs to politicians to immigration activists. They weren’t the same words President Trump used to describe himself — when he referred to his “big heart” and his love of children — as he wrestled with the decision over the fate of so-called Dreamers. Instead, many responding are turning to a different vocabulary, calling his move painful and inhumane.

The ACLU came out swinging by tweeting, “Today is a cruel day for Dreamers and all Americans.”

But the civil liberties organization wasn’t alone in its assessment.

Chelsea Clinton linked to Vivian Yee’s thred on Jeff Sessions announcement, calling it painful-to-read but important, and she chimed in on “the cruelty of ending DACA for DREAMers.”

Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook to write, “This is a sad day for our country. The decision to end DACA is not just wrong. It is particularly cruel to offer young people the American Dream, encourage them to come out of the shadows and trust our government, and then punish them for it.”

Even Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took a few moments away from dealing with the largest wild fire his city has ever faced to condemn the end of DACA.

But what’s especially worth noting is the wave of politicians who did more than condemn the administration’s announcement — they threatened to fight back. Even conservative Tennessee Attorney General changed camps last week, reversing his DACA position in anticipation of the Trump administration’s announcement. And now, it looks like there are numerous state attorney generals, not to mention mayors and state representatives, who feel similarly.

Cuomo, Jaypal, Herring, and Ferguson were among the first round of leaders who are now rapidly releasing public statements outlining their position and the steps they are willing to take to prevent 800,000 children of undocumented immigrants from being sent back to countries they don’t know or remember. There will certainly be more such statements released in the coming hours and days. As the initial response to this decision shows, the DACA fight is only getting started.

And as if on cue, Apple CEO Tim Cook has released a statement, too.

https://twitter.com/JohnPaczkowski/status/905105198565048320

Microsoft has also come out with not only a statement (but also a promise of legal aid for those fighting deportation).

https://twitter.com/EmilyRPeck/status/905107583609995264