National Council of Jewish Women

1707 L Street NW, Suite 950

Washington, DC 20036-4206

Contact: Amanda Lang

Director of Marketing and Communications

212.870.2738

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ending DACA Latest Unconscionable Act in White Supremacist Agenda

September 5, 2017, Washington, DC – The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today called President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, in six months inconsistent with our nation’s highest values. NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman released the following statement:

“Turning our backs on the nearly 800,000 young people brought to the US as children, who are fully integrated into American life, is nothing short of tragic and shameful. DACA recipients, also known as Dreamers, are our friends, family members, and neighbors. Ending DACA means sending them back into the shadows, to await deportation to nations most of them never knew.

“President Trump’s decision is yet another example of his pursuit of an ideological agenda that hews to the aims of the extremists and white supremacists that have advised him throughout his campaign and presidency. Indeed nearly 8 in 10 voters support allowing the Dreamers to remain permanently in the country, including almost three-quarters of Trump voters. From the Muslim ban to his unacceptable response to Charlottesville, from banning transgender soldiers to supporting voter suppression, Trump has repeatedly shown that he does not support the values on which this country was founded.

“Given Trump’s decision to abandon DACA, it is up to Congress to quickly pass the Dream Act to provide these young people — Americans in all but name only — a path to citizenship. Further, Congress must not use Dreamers as a bargaining chip to try and build a useless border wall, or increase funding for deportation.

“Our Jewish values compel us to fight for the rights of marginalized people, including immigrants, and we will not stop now. We call upon Congress to act swiftly to protect Dreamers.”