WEA President Mead on DACA

On September 5, President Donald Trump revoked Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that is vital to well-being of nearly 800,000 young people who arrived in the United States as children. 

WEA President Kim Mead released this statement: 

“With this one action, President Donald Trump managed to turn his back on America’s legacy of welcoming immigrants and undercut a future filled with opportunity and hope for hundreds of thousands of people. 

“Our country is made up of immigrants. The Dreamers are the latest generation to come to the US. They live and learn here, and they offer their talents and energies for a better future. 

 “As educators, we see the effects in our classrooms, when students show up scared that their families and communities will be torn apart. We see the anxiety and fear in their faces caused by this unnecessary and heartless act. We also see that some students stop coming to school because they are afraid they or their families will be deported. 

“We turn to Congress to #Defend DACA, live up to our country’s ideals, and return hope to the 800,000 people directly affected by President Trump’s action today.”

NEA has published resources for educators who need help talking with their students about DACA.