More than 100 students and immigration rights advocates gathered at the Arizona State Capitol late Tuesday to celebrate the 5 th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy or DACA. The event was one of many being held around the country.
The gathering felt more like a party, with balloons, paper flowers and music. In addition to food and motivational speakers, organizers set up tables for people to start their DACA paperwork if they wanted to register.
Advocates said while the anniversary is something to be grateful for, they acknowledge the policy is on shaky ground. They used the event to demand that lawmakers at all levels protect DACA, especially as some politicians are attempting to dismantle it.
"We ask that they stop and that they no longer sit silent about the issue with DACA," said Korina Iribe, a spokeswoman for Undocumented Students for Education Equity. "That they come out and support the 25,000 Arizonans that benefit from DACA and that are contributing to the state."
Right now the Trump administration is being pressured to end the program by a group of 10 attorneys general. They say they’ll file a lawsuit if Trump doesn’t rescind DACA by Sept. 5.
