April 5th: Two Million Too Many National Day of Action Toolkit
1. Endorsements:
2. Sample Events
3. Sample Press Release
4. Talking Points
5. Sample tweets
6. Social Media and Documentation
This is a living document. Check back regularly for updates and tools we’ll be adding.
More information and coordination will be shared on national calls leading up to the day of action on:
- March 7th at 4PM EST / 1pm PST
- March 21st at 4PM EST / 1pm PST
- March 28th at 4PM EST / 1pm PST
To rsvp: register at
1. Endorsement
Endorse the April 5th day of action and become part of the growing call demanding immediate action from President Obama. Our community deserves bold leadership to shake up Washington DC.
Endorsers Agree to the Statement of Principles
1. We are nearing 2 million deportations during the Obama Administration, immigration reform remains stalled in Congress. We cannot and will not simply continue to wait for Congress to act, we need immediate action to stop deportations.
2. President Obama, Yes You Can provide relief for immigrant communities by expanding deferred action and ending the Secure Communities program TODAY.
3. A suspension of deportations and the federal programs driving the record setting pace can unlock the participation and leadership of undocumented people, thus jump start legislative solutions in Congress and put the debate on the right course towards equality and inclusion.
April 5th Two Million, Too Many #Not1More endorsers will:
- Stay connected with updates and information on April 5th and the #Not1More deportation campaign
- Be included in national press materials and the event website
- Receive special access to April 5 promotional materials and art work
- Be able to post updates and information about your organization’s campaign local work on deportations.
2. Sample Events: What’s Being Planned?
Everyday more than 1,000 people are deported. It is predicted that in April 2 million people will have been deported by the Obama Administration. Amidst Congressional inaction, President Obama and his Administration must understand that our community cannot continue to wait. We won’t continue to wait - especially when the President can take concrete, bold and necessary actions TODAY to turn back the deportation dragnet.
On April 5th we aim to deliver a resounding and unified message:
2 million, 2 many! Not One More Deportation
On April 5th we demonstrate our pledge to continue to push for solutions and relief, and for our community to continue to reclaim and assert our dignity and our demand for equality and inclusion.
Groups across the country are already in motion. Here are a few examples of events that are being planned:
- Community forum and training sessions with community memberes telling their story and to provide information on how the President can stop deportations
- Marches, walks and community runs
- Mural painting and photo exhibits
- Direct action and non-violent civil disobedience
- Vigils and rallies
Where are groups holding these types of events and who are they targetting?
- Local ICE offices
- Community centers, parks, etc.
- Detention centers
- Local law enforcement agencies
- City Hall
More information and ideas will be shared on the calls leading up to April 5th, make sure to stay tuned and join us to receive and give updates about events in your area and across the country.
3. Sample Press Advisory
For immediate release // excuse Cross-Posting
Contact: {your information here}
On April 5th, {city} to Rally on National Day of Action
for Deportation Relief from President Obama
As Administration Nears Two Million Deportations,
Groups Say “Not One More,” Urge White House Action
What: {event description. Ex: Immigrant Rights Rally at County Jail on Nat’l Day of Action}
When: {time}, Saturday, April 5th, 2014
Where: {location details}
Who: {notable attendees and sponsoring organizations}
Visuals: {What will it look like on camera? Ex: Hundreds of people with banners reading “Mr. President, Yes You Can Stop Deportations”}
As part of the national #Not1more Deportation campaign, {organization} will {insert activity: ex: rally, host a community forum, march to the county jail where local residents are transferred to ICE for deportation.}
The protest is prompted by the record deportations under the Obama administration which are anticipated to hit the milestone of two million removals since he took office. They say their families can’t wait for relief and that the President doesn’t have to wait for Congress to use his executive authority to stop the suffering. He could expand the deferred action program he created for immigrant youth and suspend deportations immediately.
“We want President Obama to be a real reformer, not the deporter-in-chief,” explains {name}, one of the event organizers. “He can give us relief with the stroke of a pen.”
{insert locally relevant information: ex: The group cites the Secure Communities (S-Comm) deportation quota program, first activated in parts of Washington State in April of 2012, as an engine behind separating local families who could benefit from eventual reform. Since its activation, S-Comm deported more than 2,600 Washington State residents.}
To stop those deportations, groups across the country are making April 5th a national day of action under the banner “Two Million Too Many,” saying that the President’s approach on immigration needs to change.
More information on activities across the nation can be found at:
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4. April 5th - Two Million Too Many Day of Action Against Deportations: Talking Points Memo
Our Families Deserve Relief and We Deserve it Now
Every day for the past six years, 1,100 of our loved ones have been needlessly torn away from us. While Washington debates about our lives, 1,100 more are deported each day.
But it doesn’t have to continue. Reform may be delayed in Congress but the President can act immediately. He can give us relief with the stroke of a pen.
The President Can Expand Deferred Action and Suspend Deportations
There’s no question that the President has the power to act on immigration. It’s just that so far, He’s used it to make policies worse instead of better.
He expanded S-Comm, he could end it.
He created deferred action for some immigrant youth, he can expand that to the fullest extent possible.
He supports the Senate bill that both parties passed, he could, at the bare minimum, stop deportations for the people who would be included in that.
The President Needs to Choose His Legacy:
Is He the Deporter-in-Chief or a True Reformer?
The President campaigned on immigration reform in 2008 and mobilized the Latino vote with DACA in 2012 but despite his promises, he’s deported more people than any other President.
Instead of giving us reform, President Obama oversaw the Arizonification of the country: nationalizing S-Comm and converting local law enforcement into mirrors of Sheriff Arpaio in Maricopa County.
But his Presidency isn’t over and there’s still time to turn around. He can use his authority to expand DACA and give our communities real relief and he can do it now.
We’ve Had Two Million Too Many Deportations, It’s Time for a New Approach on Immigration
You don’t deport people in order to legalize them. The President’s strategy on immigration reform has gotten us two million deportations but it hasn’t gotten us reform.
It’s time for a new approach. Stopping deportations should be the first step on any path to citizenship.
Instead of trying to appease anti-immigrant Republicans, the President can show them that he’s not waiting for them to bring the immigration system in-line with our national values.
5. Sample Tweets
President @BarackObama, it’s time to expand #DACA and stop deportations. What are you waiting for? #2million2many #not1more
If the White House has the power to stop deportations, what is it waiting for? @Cecilia44 @Vargas44 #2Million2Many #Not1More
Is the President an immigration reformer or the #DeporterInChief? There’s been #2Million2Many deportations. We say #Not1More
President Obama promised #immigrationreform, he delivered #2Million2Many deportations instead. We say #Not1more
We’re unified against deportations. The path to citizenship starts with a STOP to deportations. #Not1More #2Million2Many
Every city says #Not1More deportation. President Obama, pick up your pen. #2Million2Many
6. Social Media and Documentation
Label your youtube videos, tweets, instagram and flickr photos #2million2many to be displayed on the action page.