Congress should pass Dream Act to protect DACA
Georgia is home to over 352,000 undocumented immigrants who power our workforce and communities. This number includes more than 20,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who pay more than $92.5 million in state and local taxes. These individuals make Georgia a great place to live, work, start a business, and raise a family.
Unfortunately, we could lose the immense benefits of DACA without a permanent legislative solution. A recent ruling by a federal judge in Texas put a freeze on new DACA applications, jeopardizing the future of all undocumented youth, and underscoring the critical need for Congress to pass an earned pathway to legal status for these individuals.
As a former Temporary Protected Status holder from El Salvador, I worked overtime to get a doctorate in nursing to help my community. Current legislation such as the Dream Act would create a pathway to citizenship to help young Dreamers reach their full potential.
Congress must act.
ROXANA CHICAS, NORCROSS
These AJC articles illustrate systemic racism
We often hear about systemic racism but just as often see little actual proof. Your articles in the July 25 AJC starkly illustrate two such instances, as follows:
1.) The article from state Sen. Sonya Halpern is a clear illustration of systemic racism with this sentence: “More specifically, recruit recent graduates from the 100-plus historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs… .” Why should not officers be recruited from, say, the Latino community, let alone others, to fill the staffing shortfall of the Atlanta police?
2.) The article titled, “Restaurateurs team up to give Black men a boost,” with the sub-headline, “Initial goal is to provide 25,000 free life insurance policies,” is another example. The program benefits people aged 15-45, earning less than $30,000 annually and not using tobacco. It is certainly a humanitarian, beneficial and admirable program, but why does it discriminate against the many who are not Black but who otherwise fit the same demographic?
MIKE MICHAUD, Marietta
