The challenges of Children and young adults caught in the immigration firestorm either living undocumented or with the uncertainty of DACA (Deferred Action for childhood Arrivals). What do Americans need to know?
Two brave panelists living this nightmare who will be making a case for their situation.
On our hot topic panel we have:
Two DACA Recipients,
· Bambadjan Bamba, an actor and immigrant rights activist. He has worked on numerous television shows, such as “The Good Place,” and in films such as “Black Panther. Bamba recently publicly disclosed that he was a recipient of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) that is in danger of being terminated. He has since become a voice for the DREAMers appearing on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, TMZ and many more news outlets. #standwithBamba is an advocacy campaign founded by Mr. Bamba to raise awareness about the immigrant experience in the entertainment industry and the hurdles that Black undocumented people face in America’s failing immigration system. He is also the recipient of the Courageous Advocate Award from the ACLU and the Courageous Luminary award from NILC (National Immigration Law Center). Mr. Bambadjan is originally from Cote D’Ivoire .
· Melody Klingenfuss works as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles’ (CHIRLA) California Dream Network (CDN). She is a statewide youth organizer and a devoted advocate for immigrants' human rights. She has been a DACA recipient since 2015.
· Edwin Duterte, An American who was a Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 43rd Congressional District of California. Edwin is a commercial real estate investment advisor and brings the American perspective to the conversation.
· Expert representatives from one of the prominent immigration advocacy organizations CARECEN (Central American Resource Center)
o Mr. Julian Lucas, currently the University Legal Services Coordinator at CARECEN in Los Angeles. Lucas was involved with organizations such as CARECEN and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) while in high school.
o Julie Mitchell has worked at the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) since 2005 and is currently the managing attorney of naturalization, family-based immigration, and TPS services. She has been active in the immigrants’ rights movement in Los Angeles throughout her professional and educational careers
IMPact interview with a successful immigrant entrepreneur and former beauty queen Mrs. Asia USA, Smita Vasant
Community IMPact spotlight where we introduce you to the pillars of our immigrant community. Mohammed Islam is the Executive Director of SABAN, The South Asian Business Alliance Network.
