While yesterday millions of Americans were honoring the contributions of our nation’s working women and men, the Trump administration was rolling out the next step in its draconian anti-immigrant policy agenda. The decision this morning to rescind the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will plunge 800,000 young people across the nation, also known as “Dreamers,” into uncertainty — and with the very real threat of deportation. There are an estimated 6,000, DACA-eligible young people who consider Santa Barbara County their home. Many of them are high school and college students, educated working professionals, and emerging leaders in our community.
Since the first days of the Trump administration, immigrants throughout the nation, including the estimated 40,000 undocumented immigrants residing in Santa Barbara County, have lived in tremendous anxiety and fear over their safety, whether it be while at school, seeking basic medical attention and other public services, or in reporting crimes to law enforcement. And while much of the anticipated neighborhood raids have not yet occurred, we have seen a marked increase in deportations in 2017 over prior years, including individuals caught in minor driving infractions. That said, we can expect the administration’s 2018 budget to include significant funding for greater ICE enforcement and, therefore, the prospects of a massive increase in deportations of many of our hard-working neighbors.
As a progressive community, we ask you to join the Fund for Santa Barbara and local immigrant rights groups, like the Central Coast Immigrant Rights Coalition, CAUSE, Importa, and Future Leaders of America in standing up in defense of our immigrant community.