By Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilmember At-Large
As the Trump administration prepares to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, I am proud to announce that my colleagues and I on the Oakland City Council are bringing forward a Resolution (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-xmUQ57c5Z7SGVSUlhqSXRQVGM/view) in support of the program and the youth it was designed to protect.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) that President Obama enacted in 2012 by Presidential Executive Order is the most important and far reaching immigration reform adopted during President Obama’s eight-year Presidency. It offered thousands of young people the opportunity to come out of the shadows and live free from fear of imminent deportation.
Nearly 800,000 DACA youth—220,000 who live in the Bay Area—have come forward, passed extensive background checks, and received permission to live and work in the United States. With DACA, they have advanced their education, started small businesses, and more fully established themselves as integral members of our society. Deporting DACA youth would tear apart families and communities, and adversely impact our economy and nation.
Oakland, like a growing number of municipalities around the country, is standing up to threats against privacy and liberties by taking meaningful steps to ensure that communities are safe, and that all residents’ rights are respected so that our City may continue to thrive.
Earlier this year, I authored a Resolution (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4k7eaDkAjFzZVc2bE9TVnU2OWs/view) that stopped an agreement between the Oakland Police Department and the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency. City Council unanimously passed my Resolution, furthering Oakland’s Sanctuary City status, and encouraging cooperation with local law enforcement.
I have now come together with Councilmember Brooks and Gallo to advance the aforementioned Resolution opposing any federal action that would rescind the DACA initiative, and urging Congress to immediately restore and continue the DACA program in its entirety.
In Oakland and throughout the Bay Area, we must make our voices heard. We stand by our immigrant brothers and sisters, and recognize the contributions of immigrants to our neighborhoods, schools, economies, and communities.
Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016.
She also serves on the Board of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and as the Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC).
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