Hollywood Isn’t Happy As Donald Trump Ends DACA Program: “Cruel,” “No Clue,” “To The Streets”

Refresh for updates … The dream might be over for 800,000 mostly adult people who were brought to America illegally as children. Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III — not, notably, President Donald Trump — announced today that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is being “rescinded” in six months.

Sessions went on about keeping America “safe,” “the rule of law” and how its breakdown leads to, well, basically The Purge. As protesters took to the streets at Trump Tower and in D.C., Los Angeles, Denver and elsewhere, Hollywood was quick to react to the news.

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company:
“The Dreamers impacted by this cruel and misguided decision make significant contributions to our economy and our country, and I urge Congress to take immediate bipartisan action to pass legislation that will protect these innocent people.”

America’s Spanish-language broadcasters also weighed in this morning:

Telemundo:
“Telemundo stands with the 800,000 Dreamers who are integral to the economy, culture and spirit of our nation.  We are disheartened by the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  In addition to the human impact of this decision, repealing DACA will result in the loss of thousands of jobs in the United States and billions of dollars in economic growth over the next decade.  We urge Congress to act swiftly to preserve the rights of these valuable members of our community.  All of our elected representatives should be held accountable toward this end.”

Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision Communications:
“I am disappointed, to say the least, in today’s announcement by the Administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months.

“The US government is revoking the ability of roughly 800,000 DREAMers to continue to work and contribute in countless ways to the United States – the only home they have ever known. This is a failure to live up to a commitment already made to DREAMers and is contrary to America’s values ​​and traditions.

“As their parents are sending kids back to college, thousands of DREAMer students pursuing college degrees are trying to focus on learning, not knowing if they will be able to complete their studies. As the government sends more troops to Afghanistan, DREAMer soldiers will be deployed to fight on the front lines, knowing that the freedoms they are protecting may not be afforded to them when they return home. As employers work to build the US economy, DREAMer employees who are paying taxes and contributing to the future of our nation face uncertainty of their own economic futures.

“Let’s be very clear – DREAMers are our students, soldiers, first responders, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. Here at UCI we will continue to stand by them, Including those talented DREAMers working at our company to advance our mission of entertaining, informing, and empowering the Hispanic community and the rising American mainstream we serve. Their stories are unmistakably American. They deserve better than this.

“That is why today’s announcement shouldn’t be seen by those who espouse anti-immigrant sentiments as a ‘win’ or a way to send hundreds of thousands of immigrants back into the shadows. We must not allow this move to foster ethnic discrimination in our neighborhoods, schools and workplaces.

“Instead, this is a call to Congress to fix this mess before the United States experiences the estimated $280 to $460 billion reduction in economic growth from the loss of DREAMers in our workforce, as estimated by some studies. This is a call for Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to enact meaningful immigration reform that takes into account those who were brought here as children and are raising their hands to learn, to serve, and to work should be allowed to legally remain in the US.

“The American values ​​of hard work and commitment have led millions of immigrants to the United States in search of opportunity. These values ​​are embodied by DREAMers. It is time to permanently protect the DACA program.””

Michael Schwimmer, President and CEO of Fuse Media:
“Since the original launch of SíTV in 2004, Fuse Media has been dedicated to serving the English-speaking Latino audience. Both on and off screen, we have come to know the Dreamers on a personal level, well beyond the current political conversation. Vital to our country, Dreamers are hard-working people with families who bring a diverse background that makes our country richer in every way.

“The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program promised these young people the opportunity to work, study, pay taxes and give back to their communities – all without the threat of deportation. This week, that promise was broken. Fuse stands behind the Dreamers and urges Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that represents the same American values exhibited by the Dreamers every day in their contributions to our country.

Funny or Die posted a “touching” video about what Trump and Sessions think DACA family discuss at the dinner table: