Letter to Starbucks Partners: Our Support and Advocacy for Dreamers
A letter to Starbucks partners (employees) from Zulima Espinel, chief global public policy counsel, sharing resources for DACA recipients.
Zulima Espinel, chief global public policy counsel, shares resources for DACA recipients
Partners,
We are proud that 250,000 partners across the country reflect the diverse communities we serve. Every day, you create welcoming spaces for each other and our customers and every day we are inspired to extend that sense of belonging beyond the four walls of our stores.
Inclusion is inherent to nurturing the human spirit and this is foundational to our long support for Dreamers, including our partners who are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. Earlier this month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided DACA is unlawful. While this decision did not immediately end the program for current DACA recipients, the program is at risk as it continues to move through the judicial system, likely up to the Supreme Court.
At Starbucks we will continue to use our voice and resources to support Dreamers and partners who are DACA recipients– just as we have since 2017. We will continue to offer benefits and support to partners who are DACA recipients. Partners can also connect with an Immigration Advisor – confidentially and at no cost – to help with questions related to navigating the program and any changes to the law.
We will also continue to advocate. Just today, Starbucks joined dozens of businesses to urge Congress to come together and pass bipartisan legislation that will provide a long-term solution and legal path to citizenship for all DACA recipients and the permanent protection they deserve to continue to live and contribute to the United States. You can read the full letter here.
I know many of you are passionate about this program so here are some tools and resources available:
- If you are a DACA recipient, renew your status as soon as you are eligible. If you have questions about the process or status of DACA, and how it may impact you or your family, contact our immigration advisors at [email protected].
- If this is an issue you care about, you can use your own voice with elected officials in Congress. You can visit StarbucksPartnersVote.com to find your federal elected officials.
We will continue to support and advocate for Dreamers so they can live, work, and dream in the country that they call home – not only because it is the right thing to do but because the communities we serve will be stronger for it.
Zulima
Zulima Espinel, chief global public policy counsel