Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Breaking news!

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Pauline Anton, President
(512) 444-5727
panton@TAMACC.org
Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC)
Urges Congress to do What is Best for the Country
Protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 - Yesterday U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Trump had rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program instated by former President Barack Obama. In doing so, Sessions stated that they would delay the rescission by six months to give Congress time to enact legislation to protect these young DREAMers from deportation.
 
Through their actions, the administration’s aim is to position itself as the champion of the rule of law, with the aim of putting America first. However, President Trump’s decision is not only disingenuous to his prior positions, but in-fact counterintuitive to putting America first.
 
The rule of law is the legal principle that law should govern a nation, as opposed to being governed by decisions of individual government officials. As an organization, while TAMACC wholeheartedly believes in the rule of law, we also recognize that it is necessary for laws to change as our country and society evolves.
 
We must remember that slavery was once the law of the land. That there was a time the law did not permit women to vote. That thousands of Japanese-Americans were interred in camps because it was the law. However, in each case, society did the right and moral thing. They changed those laws. With each change, the United States became stronger as a country, which in turn allowed our moral authority to flourish and grow on the world stage.
 
To be clear, the deportation of 800,000 vetted law-abiding students, teachers, first responders, military personnel, and young professionals will not make our country stronger. It will weaken us. DACA recipients are imperative to the success and economic sustainability of our country.
 
“Since President Trump says he has love in his heart for our young DACA beneficiaries, I hope he loves them enough to give them the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As it stands, he has turned the dreams of these young ‘DREAMers’ into nightmares,” said Samuel Guzman, Chairman of the Board. 
 
Trump’s action to rescind DACA now puts the onus on Congress to do the right thing.
 
  • We strongly urge that Congress moves quickly and aggressively to find a legislative solution that allows DREAMers who came to this country, through no fault of their own as children, to stay in the only country they have ever known, as productive residents.
  •  TAMACC calls on their membership and Texas businesses to engage in this vital issue by reaching out to their congressional representatives to encourage them to pass legislation that prevents the deportation of 800,000 DREAMers.
  •  TAMACC is requesting more Fortune 500 companies speak out and let legislators know how important DREAMers are to the U.S. workforce. Major corporations such as Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon have come out publicly supporting DREAMers. AT&T, Wells Fargo, Best Buy, Ikea and Kaiser Permanente also followed suit. 
 
For more information about the dismantling of DACA, or if you would like to become involved, contact the TAMACC office at (512) 444-5727 or e-mail panton@TAMACC.org
The Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) is a nonprofit 501 (c)(6) organization created to promote business leadership, create economic opportunities and provide legislative advocacy for the Hispanic business community in Texas. TAMACC was founded in 1975 to encourage opportunities in commerce and to organize local programs to improve the economic condition of the Hispanic population. TAMACC is an association with more than 15,000 members and advocates for over 700,000 Hispanic businesses in Texas.