Amidst all that is going on in our country, we have good news to share on two Supreme Court rulings this week, which is a testament to the work the movement has fought so hard to achieve together over the years.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): You have likely heard that the Supreme Court sided with immigrant communities to allow DACA to continue for now. What you may not know is that when President Obama visited San Francisco in 2013, Ju Hong, an undocumented API youth, interrupted his speech to push him to create DACA. This youth was a leader in ASPIRE, an undocumented-led API group that has advocated relentlessly for the rights of immigrants throughout the years. Some in our communities saw the interruption as disrespectful, others as a courageous demand that challenged power. This is the discomfort we live with, and must remember, as undocumented youth continue to fight, alongside Black communities, for a bold new vision of investment in our communities beyond incarceration and deportation. There is no victory without the struggle.
California Sanctuary Law (SB54): In 2018, then Attorney General Jeff Sessions stood in front of a group of law enforcement officers in Sacramento vowing to sue California for being a Sanctuary state. We vowed to fight back. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s challenge to key provisions of the California Values Act, our groundbreaking Sanctuary law. This means that these protections will stay in place and prevent state and local police and sheriffs from funnelling many immigrants into deportation. The waves of ongoing protests across our country have drawn attention to the many ways policing hurts Black communities and communities of color, and inspired a national discourse challenging the role of law enforcement. We have worked with the ICE Out of CA coalition for a decade to stop law enforcement from engaging in deportations, and we look forward to using this hard-fought legal and community victory to support and advance local and state Sanctuary campaigns throughout the country.
We know our fight is long, but we’re taking this moment to pause and celebrate these wins as we continue to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. If you are looking for ways to join the fight, here’s one thing you can do: Join us and urge Governor Newsom to grant clemency and release people from prisons. A toolkit with messages and graphics you can help amplify on social media can be found here.
In solidarity,
Aarti Kohli
Executive Director