DACA: The fight belongs to all of us

By Ken Zarifis

When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rescindment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in early September, I was reminded of the Dreamers I have come to know as friends over the last several years. Standing with them in solidarity to fight for dignity, respect and the American dream that we and our ancestors have had access to, I felt an even greater belief that together we will prevail.

I am president of Education Austin, a merged AFT local in Austin, Texas. Austin has become ground zero for Donald Trump’s xenophobic policies and direct attacks on immigrant families. Our community has been rocked by S.B.4, the “show me your papers” bill in the state Legislature; Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attack on the DACA program; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids last spring. If Session’s announcement for a cowardly president who was too afraid to face the 800,000 DACA-protected people in our country was intended to stop us, dissuade us or silence us, he and the entire Trump administration are sadly mistaken. It has emboldened us.

For the last five years, Education Austin, in collaboration with United We Dream, the Equal Justice Center and other organizations, has conducted DACA clinics helping more than 1,000 young people apply for their work permits. Similarly, we have held nine citizenship drives and helped more than 1,000 permanent residents complete their paperwork to apply for citizenship.

Education Austin’s work to support the immigrant community is not new. When we heard ICE would begin raids on our community, we distributed vital know-your-rights information in schools and held trainings for teachers and families. Education Austin members, and thousands of brothers and sisters from across the state, lobbied throughout this spring’s legislative session to stop the racist, xenophobic S.B.4. Then, after Paxton joined nine other state attorneys general in threatening a lawsuit against the Trump administration if he did not rescind DACA, we organized alongside United We Dream to conduct protests at Paxton’s office.

It is the collection of every action (big or small) we take in Austin, our state and the nation to defend DACA and our immigrant community that will lead us to victory over hate and racism.

The first protest was held in front of the attorney general’s office where we called out Paxton and the rest of the Texas political racists for their attacks on the immigrant community and DACA. The second action, on Aug. 15, was a rally and planned civil disobedience where our vice president, Montserrat Garibay, and I were joined by four others to occupy the entrance of the building. When we refused to move, all six of us were arrested, charged with criminal trespassing, and spent the night in jail.

Days ago, after Sessions held his news conference to explain the Trump administration’s xenophobic justifications for rescinding DACA, we returned to the attorney general’s building and held a news conference of our own to denounce Trump and Paxton — but more importantly to uplift the Dreamers and their courageous parents who brought them to the United States for a better life. Education Austin has 12 known DACAmented members. Their courage to be undocumented and unafraid has inspired us to stand arm-in-arm with them through this fight.

Before the Aug. 15 arrests, a reporter asked, “Why are you doing this?” As I looked past her to the crowd of over 100 Dreamers and allies shouting, “Shut it down! Shut it down! Shut it down!” it came to me that, by itself, being arrested meant nothing. However, our action taken with those who were a few feet away chanting, holding signs and sharing their stories would make a difference.

As a union, our core beliefs revolve around the concept of solidarity. Without it we lose. It is the collection of every action (big or small) we take in Austin, our state and the nation to defend DACA and our immigrant community that will lead us to victory over hate and racism. The racists will be relentless, and so must we.

Teacher Ken Zarifis is president of Education Austin.