Immigration Reform 2017 News: Hundreds Rally Against Trump's New Immigration Policies; US President Considers Extending DACA Deadline
The public has expressed their disapproval of the list of immigration policies released by the White House. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump is considering extending the March 5 deadline for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Dreamers.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Westlake Park in Seattle last Sunday to rally against the immigration policies that President Trump is planning to implement for the reform, The Seattle Times reports.
The rally of people — which included the forefronts of labor unions, immigrant-rights groups, and religious communities — wanted the White House to go back on the policies that limit travel rights and refugee entry, as well as the strengthening of grounds for deportation.
Self-described Sufi Muslim interfaith minister, Jamal Rahman, said that this is the time "for moral courage" and that people should lend their ears "to the voices of those who are marginalized, and those who are vulnerable."
Paul Quiñonez Figueroa, a DACA Dreamer who came to the country from Mexico when he was only seven years old, voiced out that they are willing to fight these new immigration policies.
"We refuse to be pushed back into the shadows," said Figueroa, who is also a legislative aide in Olympia, Washington and a graduate of Gonzaga University.
Quiñonez Figueroa is among 800,000 people who could be targeted for deportation in two years when their documentation expires since President Trump ordered to end the DACA program.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that there's a possibility for President Trump to extend the March 5 deadline for Congress to come up with a permanent solution for young undocumented immigrants.
Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma shared that Trump spoke to him about extending the deadline.
"The president's comment to me was that, 'We put a six-month deadline out there. Let's work it out. If we can't get it worked out in six months, we'll give it some more time, but we've got to get this worked out legislatively,'" Lankford revealed.
