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DREAMERS NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION !!!
THE CMSC'S CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE ADVANCE PAROLE FOR DACA RECIPIENTS GOES TO WASHINGTON, DC ON JAN.14-17, 2019
The California-Mexico Studies Center (CMSC) is pleased to announce that our Campaign to Restore Advance Parole for DACA recipients is moving forward to the national level during January 14-17, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
On Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Congress members Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Nanette Barragán (CA-44) led a coalition of 14 Members of Congress on a letter urging Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen to restore the ability of DACA recipients to travel abroad with an Advance Parole authorization.
Since 2012, individuals under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)-better known as Dreamers-had been able to apply for advance parole to travel abroad for humanitarian, employment, and/or educational purposes. Advance parole is a travel authorization granted by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that allows Dreamers to travel outside of the U.S. and return without penalty.
Obtaining this status allowed Dreamers to pursue employment opportunities that required foreign travel, to tend to loved ones suffering from serious illness, and to participate in educational programs abroad. However, since the Trump Administration's order to rescind the DACA program on Sept. 5, 2017, DHS halted the approval of advance parole for Dreamers.
While court orders since January 2017 have ordered continuation of the DACA program, the Trump Administration has not reinstated the ability of Dreamers to apply for advance parole. As a result of this administrative practice, Dreamers have been unable to be with their loved ones at critical moments, as it was the case of Mayra Garibo, a Senior at CSU Dominguez Hills and a DACA recipient, who could not attend her dad's funeral when he suddenly passed away in an accident in Mexico, on January 11, 2018. Moreover, the suspension of Advance Parole has denied Dreamers educational and employment opportunities abroad.
We believe that continued denial of Advance Parole for DACA recipients is causing irreparable harm, it's inhumane and discriminatory.
For that reason, we are committed to take our advocacy to the national level, motivated by the support and leadership of Reps. Alan Lowenthal and Nanette Barragán.
Thus, the CMSC plans to take a delegation of Dreamers to Washington, D.C. during January 14-17, to mobilize increased congressional support, and meet with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
OUR WASHINGTON, D.C. ACTION PLAN:
The CMSC proposes the following action plan:
- Secure more congressional signatures for the Alan Lowenthal and Nanette Barragán letter by new members of congress who start on January 3, 2019.
- Secure a complimentary advocacy letter from the U.S. Senate.
- Host a seminar on Advance Parole in Washington, D.C.
- Convene a mobilization day on January 16, 2019
This is the CMSC's most significant effort to restore Advance Parole for DACA recipients to date, but we cannot do it alone.
WE NEED EVERYONE'S HELP AND SUPPORT !!!
WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT:
- ENGAGE: Spread the word and share our call to reinstate Advance Parole for DACA recipients, by signing the campaign's petition, send letters, and make calls to congress members and the Homeland Security Administration Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Instructions will be provided to those who sign the petition.
- SHOW UP: If you are in the DC-area, we need you to show up at our seminar and mobilization day. Please, sign up and indicate if you need travel assistance.
- DONATE: Help us help others to be there and for us to continue expanding the Campaign to Restore DACA's Advance Parole for Dreamers. You can donate here or click on the donate button below.
- SPONSORS: Sponsor or helps us secure sponsors to defray the travel and operational costs of the campaign and our mobilization in Washington, D.C.
- ORGANIZATIONAL SPONSORS: Sign the Organizational Sponsors Pledge in support of the Lowenthal / Barragán letter and the Campaign to Restore DACA's Advance Parole for Dreamers.
Aside from taking over 160 Dreamers to study in Mexico as part of aunique study abroad program for DACA recipients, the California-Mexico Studies Center has a long history of projects and programs that have helped create awareness about the importance of Advance Parole for DACA recipients, including the production of:
Advance Parole (2018) - DOCUMENTARY
A 30-minute documentary film that follows Mayra Garibo's plight to re-establish Advance Parole for all Dreamers and to be able to reunite with her family in times of hardship. Watch Here
Dreamers: Aquí y Allá - THEATER PLAY
A play produced by the California Repertory Company and CSULB's Theater Arts Department in collaboration with the CMSC. Featuring testimonials of our very own California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program participants, the play invites the question of who gets to dream the American Dream... Watch Here
Advance Parole Voices - VIDEO SERIES
A short documentary video series that features stories, voices and testimonies from DACA recipients who traveled with Advance Parole, and those Dreamers who have been denied the travel authorization since the administrative suspension of AP... Watch Here
Please help us continue our work towards restoring Advance Parole for DACA recipients!
MAKE YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TODAY!
Check out our CrowdRise Campaign, or donate here:
Visit our campaign website: www.advanceparole.org
Follow the cause on social media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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To read Rep. Lowenthal's press release and Advance Parole letter of support, please click here.
For more information and media inquiries:
Contact Prof. Armando Vazquez-Ramos
Cel: 1 ( 562) 972-0986
californiamexicocenter@gmail.com
