[CTC] CTC Opposes DACA Repeal, Reaffirms Commitment to Immigrant Rights

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Below is CTC’s statement opposing DACA repeal and connecting the dots to trade policy.  If you haven’t yet, please sign up for next week’s webinar on trade and migration <https://actionnetwork.org/events/migration-nafta-webinar> and find nearby DACA defense rallies <https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/defend-daca-on-september-1st?refcode=g-DACAevent0905.d-20170905.m-9708.s-34767&source=dfa>   

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826


CTC Opposes DACA Repeal, Reaffirms Commitment to Immigrant Rights

We have a long list of changes we’ve been pushing in order to make trade policy better for working families.  Deportations and a giant wall aren’t on that list.  We oppose the end of Deferred Access for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), we oppose the wall and we oppose any attempts to scapegoat immigrants and foreign workers.     

Mexican farmers and working families were hit exceptionally hard by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), fueling displacement and forced migration.  No one should be forced to leave their home, and those who unfortunately have been should be treated with fairness and compassion. 

We have always fought alongside with our Mexican and Canadian counterparts to replace the corporate-centered NAFTA agreement with policies that put people before profits in all three countries.    

To be clear, the trade debate isn’t about the United States against world, but rather corporate elites against the rest of us.  A major reason that big corporations have pushed NAFTA and similar trade agreements is so they can shift jobs around the world to wherever workers are the most exploited and environmental regulations are the weakest.  This global race to the bottom has hurt working families everywhere, and it will only be abated with policies that improve working conditions and quality of life both at home and abroad.  

If NAFTA’s renegotiation is dominated by the same corporate elites that gave us NAFTA in the first place, things could become even worse for working families, public health and the environment in all three countries.  The incautious use of punitive tariffs, if met with reciprocal tariffs on U.S. exports, could likewise cause serious harm to already-fragile family farms, as well as to other sectors of employment.   

Our opposition to corporate trade deals like NAFTA has always been rooted in respect for workers’ rights across the globe, commitment to climate justice and dedication to a new model of trade that puts human needs ahead of corporate profits.  Our opposition to DACA’s repeal is consistent with those long-held principles.  




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