HUGE news!
Today, President Obama announced he is taking administrative action to protect millions of undocumented immigrants and their families from deportation. This is an enormous achievement, which will improve the lives of many of our members and their families across New York City and Long Island.
To find out whether administrative relief may apply to you or your family click here to visit our Respect and Dignity website: www.respectanddignity.org/immigration. There you can sign up for notifications about the program and find about our legal pre-screening workshops and other ways of getting assistance.
Today’s announcement means that parents will not live in fear of being torn away from their children, that hard-working parents and young people will be able to obtain work authorization, and that immigrant families will be able to live with the respect and dignity they deserve.
As Clara Cortés, one of our Long Island members who will benefit from this policy, said, “Today, the fear of family separation feels more distant. Once I get the relief the President announced, I will not face the looming nightmare of being pulled apart from my daughters. And, with work authorization, I will be able to work legally in the country and apply for better paying jobs that will help me provide my children with all the opportunities I dream of for them.”
President Obama’s announcement follows years of organizing by Make the Road New York and our tremendous allies in New York and nationwide.
Still, the President’s action, while historic, is only a first step. Millions of our undocumented brothers and sisters — for instance, many LGTBQ people and parents of DREAMers — will be excluded from this new policy. Moreover, the new policy does not include a path to citizenship for the millions it covers — it is simply a temporary reprieve.
Ultimately, we still need a path to citizenship for all eleven million undocumented immigrants in this country. And Make the Road New York and its 15,000 members are committed to continuing to fight for justice for all of us in the months to come.
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Today, we celebrate a historic announcement that will bring protection to millions of families, and we re-dedicate ourselves to the continuing struggle that lies ahead.
¡Si se pudo!