Framingham Families Awaiting Court Decision on Immigration

Tomorrow morning, July 10, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on the lawsuit blocking the implementation of immigration relief.

Framingham families will speak out with the 65,000 Massachusetts residents who could benefit from the relief’s two main programs - Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Across Massachusetts, families, workers and students are also uniting to voice their hope that the block on DAPA and DACA will be lifted.

In Chelsea, advocates will begin with the creation of a large butterfly painting filled with 65 hand prints to symbolize the 65,000 men, women and children whose chance to unfurl their lives has been blocked by the federal lawsuit against immigration relief.

Ann, a mother of two sons, who are U.S. citizen, would qualify for DAPA.

Ana is from Brazil but she has lived in Framingham for the past 16 years.

“We all are very anxious and excited for a good decision. Some are worried this relief is not going to happen. We really want this because we have suffered for a long time in this country without a drivers’ license,” she said. “With a license, I could take my son to the emergency room if needed, go to work, church and volunteer, and even to go buy groceries.”

Editor’s Note: Only first names are used in the article as the individuals who are undocumented were afraid of retribution.

Despite the federal lawsuit brought by Texas and other states halting immigration relief, polls show that 77 percent of the American people support a path to citizenship or legal status.

Massachusetts is one of 13 states that have filed amicus briefs in support of DACA and DAPA, along with California, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.

“We will continue to support President Obama’s executive action to provide relief for millions of men, women and children and to educate our community” says Nelson, one of the leaders of Voz de la Comunidad.

An immigrant worker from El Salvador, he and his wife qualify for DAPA because their son, 3, was born in the U.S.

Nelson became involved in La Voz de la Comunidad because his two daughters arrived last year and he wanted a place to learn how to navigate the school, meet other parents and share resources.

With DAPA relief, the children’s parents would receive social security numbers, work permits, and drivers licenses, which would alleviate fears of deportation, family separation, wage theft and unsafe working conditions.

“We encourage eligible immigrants to use this time to continue to prepare, attend information sessions, and be ready to file when the time for implementation finally comes,” says Tania Jamie, a Framingham High graduate, current college student, and organizer with Voz de la Comunidad.

Her family shows the complexity of immigration status and the bureaucracy and delays that many immigrants face when they try to regularize their status and unite their families.

She comes from a mixed status family: while her father, a resident, studies for his citizenship exam, her mother awaits DAPA relief, which she would qualify for because her 10-year old sister was born in the U.S.

Her other sister is a DACA recipient, while she herself is a humanitarian visa recipient.

“It’s complicated and the process is slow. But soon we will all be the same,” she said.

La Voz de la Comunidad is a project of Mass. Jobs with Justice, a state-wide coalition of unions, community groups, student groups, and faith-based groups that work together to defend and promote workers’ rights as well as immigrant rights.

La Voz de la Comunidad is a volunteer membership­-based group of immigrant parents, family and community members dedicated to supporting our children and education and building our voice in the schools and in Framingham. Their priorities are outreach, organizing, and advocacy around immigrant rights and education.