Defend DACA
Jeff Sessions is making a statement on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in which he is expected to announce the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA grants protections to immigrants brought to this country as children. DACA recipients work, pay taxes, and have no criminal records.
There are no valid reasons to rescind DACA — only racism, cruelty and a desire to stir up Trump’s ever-shrinking base.
Although DACA has broad bipartisan support, conservatives often complain about the way it was implemented–through executive order by President Obama, rather than through congressional legislation. Now is the time for those conservatives to step up, and do more than just “express concern.” Now is the time for congressional action on two key pieces of legislation:
- Call John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and tell them to co-sponsor the bipartisan Durbin-Graham “DREAM Act” (S. 1615) to create a legislative fix to the predicament of these young Americans, and take their future out of Trump’s hands.
- Call your House Representative and tell him to co-sponsor Rep. Gutierrez’s American Hope Act (H.R. 3591) to give those with DACA and others who arrived in the United States as children a path to permanent legal status and eventual citizenship.
Also call Attorney General Ken Paxton (512-463-2100) and demand that he rescind his letter to the Trump Administration asking them to do away with DACA. One of the reasons the President gave for ending DACA was lawsuits from state Attorneys General, including Texas’ own Ken Paxton. Paxton claims that DACA’s issuance amounted to overreach by President Obama, yet DACA has held up to numerous legal challenges. Let’s flood his phone lines to make sure he knows that Texans support DACA.
Read more about DACA at the Indivisible Project
Read “Ending DACA would be Trump’s most evil act” in the Washington Post
Hurricane Harvey Update
Last week, 40 Indivisible Austin volunteers helped out at the Central Texas Food Bank. This week, why not buy something from the Amazon Wish List of Support the Girls? Learn more about the organization here. We’re developing a page for this and other slightly-under-the-radar Harvey resources. Let us know your suggestions.
Tuesday, Sept. 5
10 a.m. Jeff Sessions Expected to make statement on DACA
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has applied steady pressure to get Trump to rescind DACA. The fact that it’s Sessions making the statement is not good. Be prepared to light up the phones and possibly take to the streets.
4 p.m. Join United We Dream to Defend DACA at Ken Paxton’s Office
209 W. 14th St.
From United We Dream:
Paxton has threatened to kill DACA by using the courts against immigrant youth, unless the Trump administration ends DACA by September 5th. Together we will stop his racist agenda and #DefendDACA! Meet us at 4PM central time at Paxton’s office! Bring signs, spirit and heart.
RSVP for this event on Facebook
7 to 9 p.m. Community Event: This is Us: Reflections on Charlottesville, Racism & What’s Next
Hosted by Austin Justice Coalition at American YouthWorks, 1901 E Ben White Blvd.
Join us for a deep conversation on race, white supremacy/privilege, and hatred in America and how we can confront and defeat it to move forward to a better, more equitable nation.
This is a family friendly event and we encourage everyone to ask as many people to come as possible.
Learn more and RSVP on Facebook
Wednesday, Sept. 6
All day. Call Governor Greg Abbott’s office at 512-463-2000 and demand he use the state’s rainy day fund to help Texans impacted by Harvey
According to the state comptroller’s office, Texas has the largest rainy day funds in the country at $10 billion. In order to tap those funds for Harvey relief, Texas Governor Greg Abbott would need to call a special session to have the legislature vote. So far, the Governor has said he does not plan on calling a special session. Well, it rained in Texas. A lot. Seems like the prime time to put those funds to good use.
Thursday, Sept. 7
CANCELED: 12 to 1 p.m. Training: Indivisible 101 (South or Central Austin)
We’re canceling this event but will be rescheduling soon. We especially are seeking venues in South Austin. Please get in touch if you can help.
Saturday, Sept. 9
3 to 5 p.m. Training: Protest Safety & Verbal Self-Defense
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, 4700 Grover Ave.
We’re excited to host a session on protest safety and verbal assertiveness led by trainer Susan “George” Schorn.
We’ll cover:
- Grounding and emotional self-regulation techniques for public speaking/civic conflict situations
- De-escalation and other group safety skills
- Tactical nonviolence planning essentials
- How to take control of a conversation (being rude for the right reasons)
**Please wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to move around**
***NOTE: Recording (video or audio) of this event is not permitted***