Grassroots Resistance to the Deportation Machine: Further Considerations

 Joana Toro /VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images

An April 5 Los Angeles Times opinion piece explains some of the avenues for large-scale, coordinated grassroots resistance to Trump’s immigration agenda. In “The case for non-governmental sanctuary for immigrants,” law professors Rose Cuison Villazor and Pratheepan Gulasekaram note the “bold steps” that “many institutions of everyday life — churches, schools, employers, businesses and nonprofits of every stripe — are taking…to protect undocumented immigrants.”

In a draft article last revised on April 4, law professor Bill Ong Hing, the author of Defining America Through Immigration, notes that many major corporations have denounced the Trump government’s rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Could they follow through on their denunciations by continuing to employ DACA recipients after their work permits expire?  Professor Hing considers the legal and moral implications of civil disobedience by employers.—TPOI Editor

The Case for Nongovernmental Sanctuary for Immigrants

By Pratheepan Gulasekaram and Rose Cuison Villazor, Los Angeles Times
April 5, 2018

The Trump administration intensified its fight with California last month when the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit arguing that the state's so-called sanctuary laws undermine federal immigration enforcement and are therefore unconstitutional. A few cities and counties in California have also opposed the policies in recent weeks. Despite all the bluster, California is likely to prevail. The Supreme Court's governing interpretation of the 10th Amendment protects the autonomy of states and prevents them from being conscripted into federal enforcement programs.

Whatever the outcome of the lawsuit, a new development could undercut the DOJ's anti-sanctuary campaign. Across California and the country, many institutions of everyday life — churches, schools, employers, businesses and nonprofits of every stripe — are taking bold steps to protect undocumented immigrants.[…]

Read the full article:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-gulasekaram-villazor-immigrant-sanctuary-network-20180405-story.html

Beyond DACA – Defying Employer Sanctions Through Civil Disobedience

By Bill Ong Hing (draft essay)

Last revised April 4, 2018

The fact that DACA recipients — and essentially all Dreamers — have become part of the conscience of the country and a critical part of the economy is illustrated by the strong support for them exhibited by major businesses in the United States. Dozens of CEOs from companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, AT&T, Wells Fargo, Google, and Facebook urged the president to preserve the program. After the Trump Administration announced the rescission of the DACA program on September 5, 2017, even more companies denounced the action and called on Congress to pass the Dream Act before the DACA termination date of March 5, 2018.

Although the statements of support for DACA recipients and Dreamers, and calls for passage of the Dream Act are important, are employers willing to do more?[…]

Read the full draft article:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3089461