Immigrant youth march announced for Saturday

A walking tour of the Chattanooga Public Library, led by one of the original architects, will explain the landmark building's brutalist design elements. The tour is one of several events marking the library's 40th on Broad anniversary.
A walking tour of the Chattanooga Public Library, led by one of the original architects, will explain the landmark building's brutalist design elements. The tour is one of several events marking the library's 40th on Broad anniversary.

Chattanooga will host a march Saturday in support of immigrant youth, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Dream Act of 2017.

Today, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition announced it expects hundreds to take part and "send the message that DACA recipients are here to stay, and that Tennessee's elected leaders must stand up for DACA and support the Dream Act."

The DACA program, launched in 2012, allows "certain certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal," according the United States Citizen and Immigration Services website.

The Dream Act is a bipartisan bill which offers a path to U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrant youth who came to the country before they turned 18 years old.

"There are more than 8,300 Tennesseans who have received DACA whose future hangs in the balance as the president considers whether or not to terminate the program," TIRRC spokesman Joseph Kwon said. "A group of 10 attorneys general, including Tennessee's Herbert Slatery, have given the president until September 5th to terminate the program or they would take him to court."

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga Public Library. DACA recipients will lead the march to Chattanooga City Hall.

Chattanooga joins Nashville and Memphis, who will also have immigrant youth support marches on Saturday.

Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@times freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.

Upcoming Events