Celebrities furiously reacted to the Trump administration’s decision to wind down the DACA program.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, was an Obama-era program that granted work permits and protection from deportation for illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO posted on his social media platform about his feelings on Jeff Sessions’ Tuesday announcement that the Trump administration was ‘winding down’ the program.
Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook to call on Congress to pass legislation that would allow those protected under DACA a chance at citizenship
Actress Kristen Bell called the decision to end DACA a fail that doesn’t represent American values
Kristen Bell tweet regarding DACA
‘This is a sad day for our country. The decision to end DACA is not just wrong. It is particularly cruel to offer young people the American Dream, encourage them to come out of the shadows and trust our government, and then punish them for it,’ Zuckerberg wrote in his Facebook post.
‘DACA protects 800,000 Dreamers — young people brought to this country by their parents. Six months from today, new DACA recipients will start to lose their ability to work legally and will risk immediate deportation every day,’ he added.
Zuckerberg also called on Congress to act on legislation to grant people previously protected under DACA a pathway to citizenship.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Judd Apatow weighed in on the administration’s DACA decision
‘The Bad Man continues to do bad’
Apatow rolled several Trump administration issues into one tweet
Zuckerberg changed his profile picture to say ‘I support DACA’ on Saturday.
He was not alone in his outrage over leaving those, known as Dreamers, unprotected from deportation, a slew of celebrities chimed in on the topic, many also urged Congress to take action against the president’s decision.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall actress Kristen Bell took to Twitter: ‘This administration is not representing American values. They are failing us, and our forefathers would be ashamed.’
Producer and actor Judd Apatow decided to roll several Trump era issues into one comment for DACA: ‘What would Trump do to a Transgender, DACA child who wants to take down racist monuments and believes in global warming? The stockade?’
Meanwhile Broadway’s Hamilton former lead and creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda pointedly aimed at Congress to act: ‘Okay. The Bad Man continues to do bad. Your move, Congress.’
Chelsea Handler, comedian and actress, and not one to hold back, had her own take on Trump’s decision: ‘Donald Trump hates brown people.’
Mark Ruffalo and Chelsea Handler also took to Twitter with their reactions to DACA
‘A cowardly act’
‘Donald Trump hates brown people’
And actor Mark Ruffalo called the decision ‘A cowardly act by a cruel, vindictive and heartless administration…’
It is ultimately up to Congress to either save DACA, cease it, or implement a new plan for Dreamers protections, and they have a six month window to figure out a solution.
Over the next six months, those protected under DACA will be able to renew permits for individuals whose may expire in that window so they can continue to work and study without fear of being deported while Congress makes its move on the program.
According to CNN as of Tuesday the Department of Homeland Security will cease to process any new applications for the program.