Faith and Community Leaders Join Immigrant Youth for a White House Rally To Protect Youth, DACA & TPS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 14, 2017

CONTACT

Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202)735-7123​

Faith and Community Leaders Join Immigrant Youth for a White House Rally To Protect Youth, DACA & TPS​

Begin 22-Day Vigil to Defend DACA and TPS​

Washington, DC – On August 15th, faith leaders from across the country will join immigrant youth and allies outside the White House to demand the Trump administration protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs.​

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 9 other right-wing politicians have given Trump until September 5th to end the DACA program. The lives of nearly 800,000 young immigrants are on the line as DACA hangs in the balance.​

August 15th marks the milestone anniversary when immigrant youth were first able to apply for DACA protection in 2012. Over the past five years, DACA has provided immigrant youth protection from deportation, the opportunity for higher education and jobs and more stability to our communities. TPS has aided over 300,000 immigrants from Africa, Haiti, Central America and other countries that  have suffered from major catastrophes.​

DACA recipients, immigrants protected under TPS and our allies have a message to the Trump administration: We have won before, we will win again and we are #HereToStay.​

Following the rally, faith leaders will proceed to Murrow Park where they will hold 24 hour vigil for 22 days, praying for immigrant youth and that the Trump administration will make the moral choice.​

Who: Faith in Public Life, United We Dream and CASA, with immigrant youth and allies including Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, other nationally recognized leaders and immigrant youth who benefit from the DACA program.​

What:  Press Conference, rally and march to protect immigrant youth, DACA, and TPS.

Where:​

Rally: Lafayette Park, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500

Vigil: Murrow Park, 18th and H St NW, Washington DC​

When:​

Rally: Tuesday, August 15th, at 12:00pm – 3:00pm ET

Vigil: Tuesday, August 15th – September 6th.​

For more information about 22-day, 24-hr. vigil, please visit http://nakasec.org/act

Other cities across the country, from Austin to Oklahoma City, are hosting their own activities. For a full list of actions: DefendDACA.com

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