Campaign Action
As an urgent deadline approaches, private donors, community members and leaders, grassroots groups, national organizations, even entire states are stepping up to the plate to assist undocumented youth who are eligible for a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal and need assistance with the $495 filing fee:
In Rhode Island, where an estimated 1,200 people are believed to be effected by the deadline, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced on Monday that she and a coalition of groups and individuals have commitments of $170,000 to pay renewal fees. Raimondo said the donors plan to pay the renewal fee of every eligible DACA recipient in the state.
“We’re not going to allow $495 to stand in the way of our neighbors’ dreams,” Raimondo said in a statement.
Other assistance funds created around the country range from individuals raising money online to pay their own fees to $9,000 raised by Charlottesville, Va., Family Action Fund through lunches to a $1 million fund established by Mission Asset Fund to help 2,000 DACA recipients.
“We sprang into action once we saw a small window of opportunity to help thousands of Dreamers to renew their protective status," said the group’s CEO, José Quiñonez. "The time to help these young people is now."
Due to Donald Trump cowardly ending of DACA, new enrollees are no longer being accepted. But for recipients who have work permits expiring between now and March 5, 2018, they can renew but must do it by October 5. For many young people working and going to school, raising nearly $500 can be difficult. But, there is good work being done to help.
In Virginia, community members are deliciously leading the way in assistance of DACA youth:
Families in Action organized lunches with tapas plates of ribs, smoked and pulled pork, bacon wrapped dates, arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) and more. The food helped draw sizable crowds to Mas Tapas restaurant for two lunches to raise money for fees and legal help for DACA recipients.
“We filled every seat in the restaurant two times over,” said Kristin Clarens, an attorney and the founder of Charlottesville Families in Action. “We were restricted by the size of the restaurant. We filled it two times in about four hours. Yesterday, I had to turn people away.”
In Texas, undocumented youth are fearless but facing several challenges many times over. Not only are communities struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, but the threat of the state’s racist “show me your papers” law continues to loom. Still, leaders are standing strong to raise funds:
Tania Mejia, spokeswoman for JOLT Texas, an immigration advocacy group, said the group started raising money soon after Trump's announcement on DACA. Texas has the second-largest number of DACA recipients, although not all will need to renew. The group has raised $3,500 so far, but figures that millions will be needed to help all who need to renew.
“I think $500 is a lot of money for anyone to just come up with unexpectedly, especially for those folks in Houston who have been hit so hard,” Mejia said.
“Unfortunately those effected most by the hurricane were undocumented Texans,” Mejia said. “They can’t access FEMA or money from other places to help them put their lives together. They have to do it on their own, and now they have this added expense.”
In Connecticut, organizers from CT Students for A Dream have assisted 20 DACA recipients so far. United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation, said it has assisted 800, with every dollar from the group’s “DACA Renewal Fund” going to applicants.
From donations to simple words of encouragement, there are many ways to be an ally to undocumented immigrant youth as we continue to fight for justice. As always, one of the best ways is to also keep up the pressure on Congress by making a call today and demanding a clean vote on the bipartisan DREAM Act—now.