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Photo Credit: Maria Sestito
A newsletter of Napa Valley Community Foundation  
March 2018
Dear friends,

Back in September, the Trump Administration announced that it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program effective yesterday, March 5, 2018.

At that time, we asked our community to stand with local Dreamers -- and stand you did.

Nearly 100 donors joined forces through Napa Valley Community Foundation to pay-in-full the $495 per person DACA renewal application fee on behalf of 78 Dreamers, enabling these young people to extend their lawful status in the US while they still had a chance to do so.

This number includes 37 individuals who were able to meet an initial deadline of October 5, 2018 to renew their DACA paperwork; and another 41 people who've had an unexpected opportunity to file for continued protection under DACA since October 5, because of a Federal District Court's injunction against the Administration's plan to rescind the program.

As of today, the future of DACA remains uncertain.  Congress failed to move forward with a permanent legislative fix for Dreamers last month; and the Supreme Court declined to take up the matter last week, which means any judicial resolution is most likely several months away and will involve the U.S. Court of Appeals.

In this precarious and changeable moment, Dreamers in Napa Valley and elsewhere are caught in limbo.

That's why we are asking, once again, for your assistance.  Despite a constellation of things we don't yet know, three things are certain as of now:
  • First, DACA is the law of the land until a court ruling says otherwise
  • Second, there are an estimated 75 Dreamers in Napa County who are now eligible to renew their DACA status in 2018, because of the injunction mentioned above
  • Third, with your support, we intend to help as many local Dreamers as we can by paying their DACA renewal application fees, just as we did last year.
We will do this work in partnership with the same group of nonprofits that has helped us provide legal services to nearly 4,700 immigrants in the last 4.5 years.  They are: International Institute of the Bay Area, On the Move, Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center and UpValley Family Centers.

It's time to once again stand with Dreamers. Will you join us by making a tax-deductible gift today to our Napa Valley Dreamers Fund?   Our goal is to raise $40,000 to help an estimated 75 DACA renewal-eligible youth pay for their applications while DACA remains in place, so they can continue to work, support their families and/or pursue higher education in our community.

Please click  here  to donate by credit card securely on our website.

Join us as we show our support to Napa Valley Dreamers.  If their future is uncertain, the future of our community is, too.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

*If you, or someone you know needs help with a DACA renewal application, contact  Citizenship Legal Services .
Napa Valley Community Foundation