New Sanctuary Movement is rallying against Philly’s ‘Live Stop’ policy, in support of DACA

Aug. 15 marked the fifth anniversary of a federal program described as protection for “dreamers.”

Those are undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and were granted permission to work and study without fear of deportation through a program under Pres. Barack Obama.

But as of late, that program — the Deferred Action Consideration for Children’s Arrivals (DACA) — is facing termination under Pres. Donald Trump. More than 800,000 immigrants are currently covered by DACA.

On Thursday, Sept. 7, grassroots activist nonprofit New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia (NSM) is hosting a rally at City Hall to show support for DACA, albeit in a specific way: The group will deliver a petition to Mayor Jim Kenney that asks for a change to “Live Stop,” a policy that allows the Philadelphia Parking Authority to tow and impound the car of a driver who is found to be driving without a valid driver’s license or registration.

As noted in a report last year by the Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, in collaboration with NSM, the policy is particularly aggressive to undocumented immigrants, who are unable to apply for driver’s licenses. That’s why the petition is calling for Live Stop to allow drivers a 30 minute window to have a licensed driver take their car home, instead of getting it automatically towed.

Also, on Sept. 5, Juntos, the immigrants’ rights organization that recently moved to a bigger office space in South Philly, will be rallying in front of the Department of Justice offices with DACA recipients and allies to “stand up against white supremacy, against the criminalization of our communities,” according to an email release from Olivia Vasquez, community organizer at Juntos. Check it out here.