Because of President Obama’s immigration action, immigrant families will soon have a chance to come forward and register, get permits to work legally and contribute our system, and finally get a chance to live without the daily fear of deportation.
But rather than embracing these immigrant families, dozens of anti-immigrant Governors and Attorneys General have joined in a partisan lawsuit against the federal government over the President’s program. Many of these families are now fighting back to defend their immigration victory.
Maria in Stow, Ohio is one of these immigrants. She recently wrote a petition asking Governor John Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine to stop their attacks on her family and others, and it has already racked up hundreds of signatures. Her email and petition:
For 12 years my husband and I have been trying to fix our immigration status, but there hasn’t been a way. Finally this year, President Obama will give us a chance — but Governor John Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine are doing everything they can to stop it.
My youngest daughter’s life changed when the President announced DACA in 2012, and now the same can happen for me and Carlos with DAPA. It’s lifted the daily insecurity from our lives. Carlos and I can finally work legally so we can contribute to our family and community, and we can even get a chance to finally visit our oldest daughter. We have been separated from her for more than 13 years.
But instead of letting my family’s dreams come true, Gov. Kasich and AG DeWine sued the federal government to stop this immigration action. And this week, that judge ruled against the President’s program and our American Dream.
This lawsuit is nothing but a political stunt, so my daughter says we should still apply for DAPA. But I think it’s terrible that Governor John Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine are more interested in slamming the doors shut on us than giving us a chance to become Americans.
Governor Kasich and AG DeWine’s attack on Ohio’s immigrants just doesn’t make any sense. There are 82,000 undocumented immigrants in Ohio, and we work hard for our families. The state would gain millions of dollars in taxes from us, in addition to what we already pay when we buy things like groceries or school clothes.
But instead of solving problems like our nation’s broken immigration system, the Governor and Attorney General would just rather attack us. Plus, this lawsuit has almost no chance of holding together on appeal. It’s just a mean-spirited attack on our community in Ohio.
After 13 years, 2015 could be the year that Carlos and I finally get to see our oldest daughter again. We have come too far to give up now — but we need your help fighting back against the partisan attacks from politicians like Governor Kasich and AG DeWine.
