© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

County Official Stands For DACA Residents

DACA grantee Rosa Luna, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, DACA grantee Diego Cruz
WAMC photo by Dave Lucas
DACA grantee Rosa Luna, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, DACA grantee Diego Cruz

In response to the Trump administration’s decision to phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, the Albany County Executive is pledging his full support to helping local residents in the program.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Obama-era DACA program will shut down in six months to give Congress time to find a legislative solution for the immigrants. That hasn't sat well with Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, a Democrat.    "All’s they know is their life in America. That's all they know. And then all of sudden they wake up one morning, and we're saying, 'Hey, guess what? You may all be deported.' How's that work? Isn't that what the American Dream's about? Isn't that what makes this country so great? Is because we stand together. Embrace different cultures. Embrace immigrants."

McCoy has forged a partnership with groups including the Regional Immigration Assistance Center, Albany Law School and the Legal Project, to maintain a united front on behalf of DACA grantees.

McCoy pointed out there are "42,000 DACA people" living in the state who have jobs, own homes and are upstanding members of their respective communities. He adds those who originally qualified for the program had to be here before 2007 and were thoroughly vetted.

Credit WAMC photo by Dave Lucas
DACA grantee Rosa Luna (seen through a TV camera's lens) addresses the media at the Albany County Office Building.

Rosa Luna is a freshman at Hudson Valley Community College. Her parents brought her to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 2. The DACA grantee has lived in Albany as long as she can remember. She's worried her driver's license might get suspended.  "My goal is to go to medical school and become a doctor, 'cause I would like to help other people. So I think that everyone under the DACA program, and everyone here has a lot of... excuse me... everyone has a future and a lot of goals that would like to get accomplished. So that I believe that everyone should have a fair chance... (fades)"

McCoy:  "She worries not just about losing her status and going to school and being deported. Was the fact that just being a normal kid and gettin' in trouble, 'cause being a father of three, you know, and having a 22-year-old, a 20- and a 13-year-old, kids trip up all the time in life. They make mistakes. That's why we did 'Raise the Age.' But in her case, there's no raise her age, there's no second chance. If they get in normal trouble like any other American kid, they could lose everything in this country and be deported."

Luna:  "This is my home. This is where I live and I grew up here, so it would be very hard to even imagine going back to Mexico 'cause I've heard it's a very different living style and I just wouldn't know where to find myself in."

McCoy says the country owes it to the DACA grantees to give them the opportunity to live the American Dream.   "We're at a crossroads in this nation. If we're not careful, when we get judged in our history books, it's not gonna be good."

McCoy has helped set up a hotline for anyone with questions, concerns, fears regarding their future in America...    "518.447.4890. And I'm gonna say that again… it's 518.447.4890."

McCoy vows he'll "continue to fight for every single resident of Albany County."

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
Related Content