The American Civil Liberties Union and Dreamers

The DACA program has served as a critical lifeline for “Dreamers” who came to America when they were children and are now receiving an education or participating in our workforce. The state of Nevada alone has 13,100 DACA recipients who have come out of their shadows to reach for success. Since the Trump Administration announced their intention to rescind the DACA program, several organizations have stepped up to help protect the rights of Dreamers.

The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that has had huge involvement in attempting to help DACA recipients.

Their mission statement states “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

The American Civil Liberties Office in Reno, Nevada. Photo by Natalie Van Hoozer

President Trump has thrown thousands of Nevada families into chaos with his decision on DACA. DACA recipients have rights under our Constitution, and we will do everything in our power to ensure these members of our communities receive the due process and equality they are guaranteed under the law. These children were brought here by parents searching for a better life, and the Trump Administration treats them contemptibly, by severing the ties that bind them to our communities and country.

The discrimination and bigotry that drive the animus to treat these people as anything less than worthy of our full community embrace is appalling. For a nation founded by immigrants, Trump’s discriminatory policies are despicable and damaging, and Nevadans must stand up to such bigotry,” ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Tod Story said.

The ACLU has provided and worked with other local non profit organizations to give this recipients the information that they need in order to stay protected. They distributed flyers in both English and Spanish for what to do if a family is separated and the rights which a DACA recipient is entitled to.

Written by Dalyn Cooke

Here are some examples of the type of information the ACLU provides to citizens so that they have more clarity and support on their rights and processes to prepare for possible scenarios.