We are all Dreamers

Member Blog

The term ‘Dreamers’ refers to those who were brought to the U.S. as children by their parents.  President Barack Obama, frustrated by the inability of Congress to pass immigration reform, granted these Dreamers a reprieve called DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in 2012. DACA granted nearly 800,000 individuals the ability to attend college, work legally, and live without fear of deportation. DACA granted recipients the ability to plan out their lives, no longer living in fear.

Women Give San Diego is a member of San Diego Grantmakers, which is a sub-group of Philanthropy California.  The following is a statement that they have released regarding the revocation of DACA and the options you have to become involved.

Philanthropy California joins our partners in philanthropy, advocates, and immigrant communities in standing against today’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). Our nation is built on the ideals of freedom, fairness, and prosperity, and we are stronger when everyone has the opportunity to thrive. DACA was a first step in fulfilling our nation’s promise to thousands of young immigrants – giving them the opportunity to learn, work, and, more importantly, contribute to the nation that they call home.

The decision to rescind DACA threatens the lives of countless young people who are contributing to the economic growth and success of the country and reneges on a promise that was made to them. Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants have relied on DACA for safety and stability. California alone has over 200,000 DACA recipients – more than any other state.

Rescinding DACA contradicts a fundamental tenet of philanthropy – to advance the social good.  Philanthropy California is committed to advancing solutions to ensure that the nearly 800,000 immigrants who successfully enrolled in DACA and the many more who are eligible to do so can continue to live, work, and learn in safety. In light of today’s announcement, we urge policymakers to develop a solution that protects these young people and upholds our nation’s promise of freedom, fairness, and prosperity for all.

To learn more about what you can do, we invite you to join the webinar Dreams in Limbo: A Look at the Future of DACA, Young Immigrants, and How Funders Can Respond hosted by our partner Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) and co-sponsored by NCG, SDG, and SCG on Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 1:00 pm PST. We also recommend that you refer to GCIR’s website for the latest updates and recommendations.