SEARCH RESULTS.

Featuring Karime Rodriguez, Director of Servicios for LUCHA ABC15 recently hosted a roundtable discussion about immigration with various stakeholders from across Arizona. Seven panelists attended: Jobe Dickinson, a former Tucson Police officer and President of the Border Security Alliance Frankie Jo Rios, President and CEO of the East Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Lydia Guzman, who's in charge of community outreach for the group Chicanos Por La Causa Karime Rodriguez, Director of Services for the group Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA) Zachary Brugman, an immigration attorney and expert with Brugman Asylum Law & Appeals Ray Ybarra, an immigration attorney and expert with the Ybarra Maldanado Law Group Cecilia Garcia, Founder and CEO of One Hundred Angels, a Phoenix-based nonprofit supporting shelters and other services for those seeking asylum In Part 1, each participant outlines what they believe to be the top issues when it comes to immigration. From border security and reforms to the immigration process itself, and finding ways to help Congress work together to come up with solutions, the ABC15 panel covered a lot of ground. Watch Part I of our conversation in the video player above and stay tuned for more conversations later this month on ABC15. Original link: https://www.abc15.com/news/state/abc15-hosts-panel-discussion-on-immigration

The plaintiffs say the ballot referral violates the state constitution by including more than one subject in a single vote. By Joe Duhownik, Courthouse News Service PHOENIX (CN) — Immigrant advocates urged an Arizona judge on Monday to toss a legislative initiative set to appear on the November ballot they claim includes too many topics for voters to make an informed decision.  The nonprofit Living United for Change in Arizona sued the state just days after the Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution 2060 , which, if supported by voters, would enforce federal law against border crossings outside legal ports of entry at the state level, make it a felony to submit false citizenship documents to government programs for employers and establish “lethal sale of fentanyl” as a felony act if one knowingly sells a lethal dose.  The resolution, passed after weeks of controversial debate in both the House and the Senate , is an amalgamation of Republican efforts to get a handle on the southern border while a Democratic governor fights them at nearly every turn. The result is “plucked from four other bills the Legislature couldn’t pass in this session,” Poder in Action attorney Andy Gaona told Maricopa County Judge Scott Minder in a Phoenix courtroom Monday morning. Poder in Action saw its lawsuit against the state consolidated with Living United’s.  In a preliminary injunction hearing, the plaintiffs accused the Legislature of “logrolling” — forcing a decision from voters on one topic by connecting it to a more favorable decision within the same vote. “You can’t make them choose,” Living United for Charnge's attorney James Barton told Minder. “You can’t say ‘If you wanna regulate fentanyl this way, then you gotta regulate library cards that way.’” Instead, ballot referrals sent to voters must abide by Arizona’s single subject law , meant to prevent voter confusion and forced choices between competing interests.  But the Legislature provided a subject that Minder seems sympathetic to. “Smuggling at the border — smuggling people and drugs,” defense attorney Kory Langhofer said on behalf of Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma, who intervened in the case as defendants. The state of Arizona and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes take no official position and made no arguments Monday.  The fentanyl provision includes an affirmative defense if the fentanyl sold is made in the U.S. or imported legally into the U.S. While Democratic lawmakers complained that the added defense is meaningless since it is often impossible to tell where the drug came from, Langhofer said the defense proves the Legislature’s intent.  “Once you add in the affirmative defense, I think this becomes a very easy decision whether it relates to the topic of smuggling across the border,” he said. He added that it doesn’t matter how infrequently that defense may be invoked.  Citing the Drug Enforcement Agency’s statements that most fentanyl in the U.S. flows through Mexico, Minder asked Gaona why fentanyl can’t fit neatly into the subject of border smuggling.  Gaona countered that while fentanyl is related to the border, so are any other illegal products that come from Mexico. If the Legislature wanted to pass a resolution restricting multiple illegal items flowing from Mexico, it could do so, he said. But connecting that to a person’s legal status has no relevance.  Barton added that provisions on whether people can receive public benefits and on the sale of fentanyl are “divergent topics,” and both are unrelated to whether a person crossed illegally. He said the provisions need to relate to one another more specifically. “It can’t just be an academic game where you can just draw a circle big enough with your words to capture everything,” he said.  But Langhofer said the Legislature can essentially do just that. As long as each provision can connect back to the main subject, in this case border smuggling, each provision doesn’t need to interrelate to one another.  “The problem at the southern border is a broad topic,” he conceded. “There’s a lot that flows from it. But it’s not limitless.” Minder repeatedly asked the plaintiffs' attorneys why the subject can’t be as broad as the Legislature makes it out to be, hinting at his agreement with the intervening parties.  He said he expects to make a decision by the end of the week. Link to original article: https://www.courthousenews.com/activists-move-to-block-bloated-immigration-resolution/

ABC News' Maria Elena Salinas reports that Arizona was once a reliably red state but now finds itself in the throes of a political battleground with the state's evolving Latino vote at the center. Link to original video: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/microcosm-nation-inside-arizonas-growing-latino-vote-104743494

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday By Ayesha Rascoe & Wayne Schutsky, NPR Host Transcript: AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: Arizona voters will likely face a ballot proposal this fall that would enable state law enforcement to arrest people who are in the country illegally, a power usually reserved for federal agencies. It's similar to measures in other states like the so-called SB4 law in Texas now held up in the courts. But in Arizona, there's history. They tried something like it more than a decade ago. As member station KJZZ reporter in Phoenix, Wayne Schutsky, reports, Latino activists are ready this time around. WAYNE SCHUTSKY, BYLINE: The ballot question would ask voters to create a state law criminalizing crossing the border outside of a legal port of entry. That's already illegal under federal law, but the new proposal would empower local police to enforce it. Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA, is one of several groups organizing campaigns to oppose the proposal. The organization itself traces its origin to 2010 when Arizona lawmakers passed a different immigration law. ALEJANDRA GOMEZ: Nearly 14 years ago, I stood before our community, terrified about what was coming from the Arizona Legislature. We weren't ready. We had no choice but to organize. SCHUTSKY: LUCHA executive director Alejandra Gomez says the 2010 law, which was partially overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, led to racial profiling by law enforcement. Joe Garcia works with another group called Chicanos Por La Causa that was created to fight discrimination against Mexican Americans. He says the ballot question is designed to exploit negative stereotypes about immigrants. JOE GARCIA: It is intended to drive people to the polls through fear and through hatred. It is not based on reality. SCHUTSKY: Republicans voted to put the question on the ballot after Democratic Governor Kate Hobbs vetoed a similar bill. Proponents say it's different from the 2010 law, that police won't be able to profile because they'll need probable cause, evidence of an illegal entry to the U.S. LUCHA says it plans to knock on 1 million doors this year and register 20,000 voters. It has also filed a lawsuit to block the question from getting on the ballot. GOMEZ: This is not 2010 anymore. This is 2024, and we are prepared to fight back and win. SCHUTSKY: Over the past 14 years, LUCHA has grown into a full-fledged political machine. In 2022 alone, it spent over $1 million to influence various ballot measure campaigns in Arizona. Now, influential members of Arizona's business community have also committed to opposing the ballot referral. That's a marked change from 14 years ago when major business opposition didn't emerge until after the law passed. Arizona faced calls for boycotts in 2010, and a progressive think tank estimated the state lost $141 million due to the law, though some have disputed that figure. James O'Neill with the American Business Immigration Council says memories of the 2010 law, also called SB1070, are what prompted many business groups to speak up now. JAMES O'NEILL: Everybody still remembers the reputational damage that 1070 did. Everybody remembers the damage that it caused, and so I think that's why folks are ready, willing and poised to defeat this initiative. SCHUTSKY: Influential groups like the Arizona Chamber of Commerce lobbied the legislature not to send the ballot referral to voters, fearing the economic impact. The chamber has not said whether it plans to participate in the campaign to defeat the legislation at the ballot, but O'Neill says his group is coordinating response from multiple business groups in Arizona. O'NEILL: We will work with the businesses that want to speak out through op-eds, through messaging, through education of their membership. We'll also support the ones that want to donate financially and be a part of this larger movement. SCHUTSKY: Meanwhile, it is less clear who will be campaigning to pass the proposal. Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, who sponsored it, says he doesn't know who will be leading that campaign yet. But he says voters will support the measure even if there isn't significant funding behind the effort. BEN TOMA: When you're talking to average voters, they understand this is actually a border security issue first and foremost, and a border security bill more than it is an immigration bill. And as such, they - I think it's going to be fine. SCHUTSKY: Toma has reason to think it won't be hard to convince people to vote yes. Polling shows a majority of Arizona voters would like to see a decrease in the number of migrants crossing the state's border with Mexico. For NPR News, I'm Wayne Schutsky in Phoenix. Link to original article: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/07/nx-s1-4996579/a-ballot-proposal-in-arizona-would-give-state-law-enforcement-special-powers

By Dennis Welch, AZFamily

Migrants and their advocates welcomed President Joe Biden’s order protecting undocumented immigrants who are married to Americans. By Benjamin Adelberg, Cronkite News WASHINGTON - Under the previous rules, migrants like Karime Rodriguez – a U.S. resident for 20 years – had to leave the country to apply for a green card. Her parents brought her into the U.S. from Mexico at age 2. The order Biden unveiled Tuesday will let such migrants complete their paperwork without leaving home, spouses, children and jobs. That will help roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens, according to the White House. The policy change will also benefit 50,000 of their noncitizen children under age 21 who also would be granted an easier path to a green card and eventual citizenship. “This is a great win for our community. It is helping thousands and thousands of people,” said Rodriguez, 26, who works at Living United Change in Arizona, an advocacy group in Phoenix. But, she added, “there’s so many people that are still left out….We still need permanent protections for many others, like my own sister, my mother and people who are close to me.” Rodriguez herself would have benefited from the new policy, though she only spent about a month in Mexico in 2021 to do the paperwork to apply for a green card. And she got to see her father, who’d been deported eight years earlier. Other migrants who have lived in the U.S. for decades can get stuck outside the country for months. That’s a predicament Biden vowed to end. Unveiling the new rules at the White House, with Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., at his side among the supporters of the new policy, he asserted that such hurdles deter migrants from seeking the process. “They have to leave their families in America,” he said. “With no assurance they’ll be allowed back in the United States. So they stay in America.” Rodriguez, a Grand Canyon University student studying communications and human relationships, married her husband Eric in 2022. As the spouse of an American she was entitled to seek a green card, but only from outside the United States. Officials from the group she works for were among the immigrant advocates invited to the White House for Biden’s announcement. Biden issued a crackdown two weeks ago limiting the number of asylum-seekers who will be processed at the border. That angered some allies who saw it as an effort to blunt Donald Trump’s hardline appeal on immigration. The new Biden policy lets migrants apply for lawful status without leaving the country if they have lived in the United States for a decade and were married to an American by Monday June 17. “That would have been great a year ago,” said Maleny Heiner, 27. “I wouldn’t have had to leave the country.” Heiner, a college adviser in Utah, arrived illegally from Mexico with her parents at age 2. She married in 2018. Last August she went to Mexico to get a green card and ended up stuck there for seven months. One unforeseen problem stemmed from her status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama-era policy allowed young immigrants brought to America illegally as children to stay in the U.S. “I filed my DACA on time for a renewal,” Heiner said, but the application was delayed and officials told her that her status had lapsed. At what was supposed to be her final appointment at a U.S. consulate, she recounted, she was told that her attorney had failed to file the right paperwork to address her original unlawful entry into the United States. “A lot of people have that misconception of once you marry a U.S. citizen you have everything set,” Heiner said. “It just takes a big toll emotionally, financially and on your stability.” Heiner eventually reunited with her husband by acquiring a different visa. She’s still waiting for the green card, but is thankful she can do that from Utah. “A lot of these processes make us feel like we have to prove our worthiness to society,” Heiner said, “and that seems super unfair because we’re worthy enough just for being here and for being alive.” DACA recipients are allowed to work and attend school but the direct pathway to citizenship only opens by marrying an American citizen or lawful permanent resident. Despite pressure from immigrant advocates, Biden has refused to open other pathways to citizenship, insisting that’s beyond his authority. President Donald Trump tried to dismantle DACA in 2017 but was stopped by the Supreme Court in 2020. Mario Montoya, 26, a DACA recipient from Phoenix who attended Biden’s announcement, said he’s worried that Trump will return to the White House. “It does make me nervous especially with all the rhetoric that’s been going around about immigrants,” he said. Montoya came to the United States from Mexico in 2003 at age 5. He graduated from Arizona State University and is now a research analyst for Aliento AZ, a youth-led community organization for immigrants. He’s not eligible for citizenship, though he’s been free from the threat of deportation since 2012 thanks to DACA. “Those years can really … fill you with anxiety but I have to remain optimistic,” he said. Biden also announced that college graduates will be eligible for a visa that lets them remain in the U.S. with sponsorship from an employer. That will help about 24,000 migrants in Arizona, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Groups that favor tighter rules on immigration are likely to sue over the new policy. “That’s just an inducement for more people to bring their kids to the United States illegally,” said Ira Mehlman, media director at Federation for American Immigration Reform. “When parents make decisions that adversely affect their children – that is a basic parental responsibility.” Mehlman sees Biden’s plan as presidential overreach akin to DACA. Biden was vice president when Obama instituted that policy. “What they’ve done is created a whole parallel immigration system … to serve their own political objectives,” Mehlman said. Among the supporters is Rudy Molera, member of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, who had a front row seat in the East Room as Biden announced the new policy. “President Biden is doing what needs to be done. It needed to be done in February,” Molera told Cronkite News afterwards. “These people are here and they’re working hard. They’re taxpayers, they’re getting an education, they’re providing and they’re providing for our country and they need a pathway,” he said. Link to original article: https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/06/19/president-biden-announced-protection-immigrant-spouses-path-to-citizenship/

For Years LUCHA & UWD Worked Behind the Scenes with Administration to Secure Major Victory for Immigrant Communities. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, June 18, 2024 PHOENIX — Today, President Biden announced a plan to use his parole authority to protect roughly a million spouses of U.S. citizens, including eligible DACA recipients, from deportation and provide them with access to work authorization and a possible path to permanent residency and citizenship. This decision results from decades of advocacy by national, state, and local organizations, which have fought to keep families and communities together and continue to advocate for permanent protections for millions of immigrants who live, work, and call the United States home. In response, leaders of leading immigrant and civil rights organizations said: Alejandra Gomez, Executive Director of Living United for Change in Arizona, said: “​​Today, President Biden took an important step forward in offering protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants. These new protections will offer much-needed stability for undocumented spouses and Dreamers, allowing them to remain with their loved ones. This is a testament to years of advocacy work led by LUCHA, United We Dream, and many other organizations that pushed the administration to take executive action to protect undocumented immigrants. But we also recognize that a larger issue remains. Without comprehensive immigration reform, millions of immigrants will continue to live in a constant state of limbo and fear. Voters overwhelmingly support reform, and Latino voters in recent polls have shown their disappointment with President Biden and Democrats in Congress due to failed commitments to passing comprehensive immigration reform. We continue to urge the Biden Administration to advance legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and puts an end to harmful policies like detention and deportation.” Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream, said: “For years our communities have come together to organize, strategize, and build the power needed to win protections for our loved ones. Today’s announcement is a testament to how our collective power as black, brown, queer, and undocumented people in this country has only grown despite concerted anti-immigrant attacks from Trump supporters intended to hurt us. From winning DACA 12 years ago to winning healthcare for more undocumented folks earlier this year, to now delivering even more expansive, life-changing relief for hundreds of thousands of people, none of these victories would have been possible without our movement showing up every day to fight for our lives and our rights. We recognize this moment as a victory for our movement, a step in the right direction for President Biden and a recommitment to continue to fight for the day where ALL people have the dignity and freedom to stay and freedom to thrive.” ###

Biden anuncia un nuevo programa que ofrecerá un estatuto legal a 500 mil inmigrantes Por Univision Vix 24/7

BREAKING: The Biden administration announced new immigration policies that aim to streamline the path to citizenship for longtime US residents like “Dreamers,” or undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children. By Camaron Stevenson, The Copper Courier Here’s what’s new: Streamlined citizenship timeline for spouses of citizens who have lived in the US for 10 years Spouses don’t have to leave the country while applying for permanent residency Expedited work visas for “Dreamers” with a college degree or high-skill job offer An estimated 500,000 people will be eligible for the streamlined citizenship process, and the new work visa rule will affect over 3.5 million “Dreamers.” “These new protections will offer much-needed stability for undocumented spouses and Dreamers,” said Alejandra Gomez, executive director of Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA). “But We need legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the US and puts an end to harmful policies like detention and deportation.” A number of executive actions, such as restrictions on asylum-seekers and an increased law enforcement presence at the border, are also aimed at addressing the US-Mexico border. Link to original article: https://coppercourier.com/2024/06/18/new-policies-immigrants/

Por Dyana Villa, Univision Arizona

June 15 marks 12 years since former President Barack Obama implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, commonly known as DACA, that allowed many young immigrants across the United States to remain in the country legally. By Erick Trevino, AZCentral/ LA Leer en español mas abajo Amid ongoing legal challenges and legislative proposals that seek to limit the benefits that undocumented immigrants have in the U.S., immigrant rights organizations are looking to celebrate the 12th anniversary in Arizona with an air of resistance mixed with uncertainty. Early this week, organizations across the country came together to rally in support of the program. The Home Is Here Coalition led a march outside of Washington, D.C., to fight for the continuation of DACA and advocate for the Biden administration to protect it. DACA has been challenged multiple times since the Obama administration. Former President Donald Trump sought to end the program by executive order but was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision. After District Court Judge Andrew Hanen ruled DACA unlawful in 2022, the future of the program has been left to the mercy of Hanen, the Biden administration and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Tuesday's rally included meeting “members of Congress from both sides of the aisle talking about the importance of a permanent solution for Dreamers,” said Beatriz Lopez, deputy director at Immigration Hub, an immigration policy advocacy group. It's the same fight that keeps organizers in Arizona, like Aliento and Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), carrying on as the program reaches its 12th year. 'We know that DACA is not enough' Prior to his reelection, Obama introduced DACA, which allowed immigrants who arrived in the U.S. when they were children to live and work legally in the U.S. The program was not meant to be a permanent solution, granting protection for two-year renewable periods. Only applicants who have been living in the U.S. since June 15, 2007, are eligible, meaning that many teenagers who arrived after don't qualify. "We know that DACA is not enough, and it wasn't meant to be enough," said Karime Rodriguez, service empowerment manager at LUCHA. "This program was something that was meant to be temporary while our administration worked on a more robust solution for the thousands of young adults." Twelve years later, however, that solution has yet to come. The Migration Policy Institute reports that two-thirds, or 800,000, of the eligible population to apply for DACA have done so since its introduction. In Arizona, there are 32,000 DACA-eligible residents and 8,000 more who meet all requirements except academic background as the program requires that applicants either be enrolled in school, have a high-school diploma or higher, or have a GED, according to the American Immigration Council. "This can potentially be the last time we're celebrating DACA. There's the threat of it being terminated but also the existential threat of Trump coming into power,” Lopez said. She said that Immigration Hub's goals for this year are not only to defend and celebrate DACA but also to push the Biden administration to offer new protections and citizenship pathways for roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. "The reality is that immigrants have been contributors. They have been great for this economy — for their communities. They have helped us become a very globally competitive nation, and it is in large part to Dreamers, to DACA recipients," Lopez said. Arizona celebrates 12 years of DACA In Arizona, events for the anniversary are being organized by LUCHA, the Arizona Center for Empowerment and Phoenix Legal Action Network. LUCHA and ACE will host their annual DACAversary event focused on helping DACA recipients renew their application free of charge. Year-round, LUCHA and ACE grant scholarships to members that help waive the high fees of the renewal process. The membership costs $120, and those funds help Dreamers save hundreds of dollars every two years. But for the DACAversary event, the services will be granted free of charge to members and nonmembers. Rodriguez said that while the DACA program isn't enough, the event serves as “a mobilization moment because we need more permanent solutions for our undocumented and DACA communities.” Link to original article: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2024/06/14/daca-is-turning-12-here-is-how-it-will-be-commemorated-in-phoenix-arizona/74078232007/ A medida que DACA cumple 12 años, organizaciones de Phoenix se preparan para seguir luchando El 15 de junio se cumplen 12 años desde que el expresidente Barack Obama implementó el programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia, comúnmente conocido como DACA, que permitió a muchos jóvenes inmigrantes en todo Estados Unidos permanecer en el país legalmente. En medio de desafíos en tribunales en curso y propuestas legislativas que buscan limitar los beneficios que tienen los inmigrantes indocumentados en Estados Unidos, las organizaciones de derechos de los inmigrantes buscan celebrar el 12º aniversario en Arizona y el resto del país con un aire de resistencia mezclado con incertidumbre. A principios de esta semana, organizaciones de todo el país se unieron para apoyar el programa. La Coalición Home Is Here encabezó una marcha en las afueras de Washington, D.C., para luchar por la continuación de DACA y abogar por que la administración Biden lo proteja. DACA ha sido cuestionado varias veces desde la administración Obama. El expresidente Donald Trump intentó poner fin al programa mediante una orden ejecutiva, pero fue bloqueado por la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos en una decisión de 5 a 4. Después de que el juez del tribunal de distrito Andrew Hanen dictaminara que DACA era ilegal en 2022, el futuro del programa ha quedado a merced de Hanen, la administración Biden y el Tribunal de Apelaciones del Quinto Circuito de Estados Unidos. La manifestación del martes incluyó reunirse con “miembros del Congreso de ambos lados del pasillo para hablar sobre la importancia de una solución permanente para los Dreamers”, dijo Beatriz López, subdirectora de Immigration Hub, un grupo de defensa de políticas de inmigración. Es la misma lucha que mantiene a los organizadores en Arizona, como Aliento y Living United for Change en Arizona (LUCHA), continuando mientras el programa llega a su duodécimo año. 'Sabemos que DACA no es suficiente' Este año, como la mayoría de los años recientes, la celebración conlleva un aire de incertidumbre. Antes de su reelección, Obama introdujo DACA, que permitía a los inmigrantes que llegaron a Estados Unidos cuando eran niños vivir y trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. El programa no pretendía ser una solución permanente, ya que otorgaba protección por períodos renovables de dos años. Sólo los solicitantes que han estado viviendo en Estados Unidos desde el 15 de junio de 2007 son elegibles, lo que significa que muchos adolescentes que llegaron después no califican. "Sabemos que DACA no es suficiente, y no estaba destinado a serlo", dijo Karime Rodríguez, gerente de empoderamiento de servicios de LUCHA. "Este programa era algo que debía ser temporal mientras nuestra administración trabajaba en una solución más sólida para los miles de adultos jóvenes". Sin embargo, doce años después, esa solución aún no ha llegado. El Instituto de Política Migratoria informa que dos tercios, u 800.000, de la población elegible para solicitar DACA lo han hecho desde su introducción. En Arizona, hay 32,000 residentes elegibles para DACA y 8,000 más que cumplen con todos los requisitos excepto la formación académica, ya que el programa exige que los solicitantes estén matriculados en la escuela, tengan un diploma de escuela secundaria o superior o un GED, según el American Consejo de Inmigración. "Esta puede ser potencialmente la última vez que celebremos DACA. Existe la amenaza de que se le ponga fin, pero también la amenaza existencial de que Trump llegue al poder", dijo López. Dijo que los objetivos de Immigration Hub para este año no son solo defender y celebrar DACA, sino también presionar a la administración Biden para que ofrezca nuevas protecciones y vías de ciudadanía para aproximadamente 11 millones de inmigrantes indocumentados que viven en EEUU. "La realidad es que los inmigrantes han contribuido. Han sido fantásticos para esta economía, para sus comunidades. Nos han ayudado a convertirnos en una nación muy competitiva a nivel mundial, y eso es en gran parte para los Dreamers, para los beneficiarios de DACA", dijo López. Arizona celebra 12 años de DACA En Arizona, LUCHA, el Centro de Empoderamiento de Arizona (ACE) y Phoenix Legal Action Network están organizando eventos para el aniversario. Taller de renovación de DACA LUCHA y ACE organizarán su evento anual DACAversary enfocado en ayudar a los beneficiarios a renovar su solicitud de forma gratuita. Durante todo el año, LUCHA y ACE otorgan becas a miembros que ayudan a eliminar las altas tarifas del proceso de renovación. La membresía cuesta $120 y esos fondos ayudan a los Dreamers a ahorrar cientos de dólares cada dos años. Pero para el evento de DACAversary, los servicios se otorgarán de forma gratuita a miembros y no miembros. Rodríguez dijo que si bien el programa DACA no es suficiente, el evento sirve como “un momento de movilización porque necesitamos soluciones más permanentes para nuestras comunidades indocumentadas y DACA”. Enlace original: https://www.azcentral.com/story/noticias/2024/06/13/daca-cumple-12-anos-asi-lo-celebra-la-comunidad-migrante-en-phoenix/74080540007/

Commemorating the 12th anniversary of DACA By Zachary Jackson, KVOA News 4 Tucson TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) The Arizona Center for Empowerment (ACE) will be celebrating the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by hosting a clinic today. The event gives current DACA recipients the opportunity to renew and protect their DACA at no cost, offering scholarships to cover 100% of the application fee. “The DACA Program has served a valuable purpose for 12 years offering some protection and some form of normalcy for hundreds of thousands of recipients across the country. But this is not enough, without comprehensive immigration reform, the attacks on the program will continue.” Said Karime Rodriguez, Servicios Director at ACE. Rodriguez continued, “DACA Recipients will continue to live in limbo, and under threat that their security could be ripped out from under them at a moment's notice. Comprehensive immigration reform must be the number one priority number for the Pres. Biden's administration and Congress." Link to original article: https://www.kvoa.com/news/arizona-center-for-empowerment-hosting-daca-clinic-today/article_7d1bc686-2a7c-11ef-af63-03f2a59f61d0.html