Oakland

Opinion: The End of DACA Could Mean Death for Immigrants Like Me

Published

8 years ago

September 26, 2017

By Edrees Saied, DACA recipient

As a foreign-born citizen, I am devastated with the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Over 800,000 young undocumented immigrants could be deported.

Through DACA, recipients were allowed to attend school and work legally in this country. They have worked hard, paid taxes, provided for their families and strengthened our communities. These are people who have or will develop the next life-changing idea for our society.

With the phasing out of DACA, young people will be forced to return to a country they may not even remember or know. Many DREAMers come from countries that have had their governments overthrown by terrorists and corrupt organizations. Trump could send many to countries flooded with poverty and death.

I was born in Sanaa, Yemen, so I know how scary it is to face the possibility of returning to a country that has nothing but chaos and instability waiting for you. While I am not a DACA recipient, I understand how DREAMers feel. My life would be significantly changed for the worst if I were forced to return there because it has an environment where dreams are thrown out the window by constant war and an unstable economy.

In the United States, I have been able to receive a quality education and take advantage of advanced technology and infrastructure which unfortunately is not available in my home county of Yemen.

Here, I am able to exercise my passions and goals and am surrounded by inspirations. I will also bring pride to my family by being the first to attend and complete college.

Aside from the fact that I cannot live up to my real potential in Yemen, we must brave the risk of actually being killed even if my family lives in a considerably safe area.

Although this may not be the case for everyone, corruption and violence are what I face in the wake of rescinding DACA, and this is the reality for hundreds of thousands of DREAMers.

Edrees Saied was born in Sanaa, Yemen. Saied currently attends Oakland Technical High School and plans to go to and finish college.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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1 week ago

May 30, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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2 weeks ago

May 25, 2025

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

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By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.