My name is Liliana. My family and I came to this country for a better future when I was only two years old.

I have been fighting for immigrants' rights since I was 14 through Hope Community Center, a Florida organization that helps serve, support, and protect immigrant families. Through that work, I have learned how important it is to get involved, not only for myself but for others who fear speaking for themselves.

Millions of immigrants like myself have been living for years on a rollercoaster in regards to our status in this country. Legislation that has both supported and attacked our lives in the U.S. has caused us to constantly live in survival mode.

In July 2021, a federal judge in Texas found DACA unlawful. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a federal policy that protects from deportation immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before the age of 16.

Prior to this decision, my community and I  were worried for months because we knew the outcome could be unfavorable. As a result, the judge’s decision meant no new DACA applicants were going to be accepted. I couldn’t help thinking about the way I was going to have to break the news to my community about this. I decided to call them personally to explain what this meant for them instead of having them find out through news outlets, which could potentially create more panic. I knew people who had already provided their biometrics--fingerprints and photos--for their initial applications. They were so close yet so far. Delays by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in processing applications are also to blame for those who are being left out.

Hispanic culture thrives in Florida, and so should its people. We need to do something, not just for DACA recipients--known as Dreamers--but for each parent who goes to work every day to provide a better life and future for their kids. It’s been too long since we have had any wins in the political arena. In my home state of Florida, we have had to deal with SB168,  an anti-immigrant law that uses racial profiling to tear families apart, and perpetuates fear in our communities. But that's not the only setback our community is facing in Florida.  Many people are in detention centers,  being mistreated, and the pandemic has only made their situations more dangerous.

The time is now to protect and support our immigrant community. I urge everyone to support a path to citizenship for our hard-working immigrants. This month, we should honor Hispanic heritage and culture by honoring its people with action. Here are some action steps you can take today: 

• Support Local Organizations That Work Towards Immigrant Justice
• Join our Floridians for Immigrant Justice campaign
• Email Glades Commissioners and demand they #ShutDownGlades
• Put an end to the ICE Detention Machine

We need a solution for the community and an end to unjust immigration laws in Florida and across the United States. Make today the day you join the movement to make Florida a place where all people and cultures can thrive.

COVID-19 was not the only deadly public health crisis of the past year and a half. The overdose epidemic killed a record 93,000 Americans in 2020, ravaging communities across the country, and may be on track to be worse in 2021. While the nation has combated COVID-19 by prioritizing medical research, vaccine production, treatment development, and implementation of common-sense public health measures, our response to the overdose epidemic has been tragically meager. In this moment of investment in our nation’s infrastructure, it is time for federal, state, and local governments to change course and invest in proven, life-saving public health tools to finally stem the tide of overdoses across the country.

It is no mystery what prevents overdose deaths. Studies consistently show that medical treatment and prevention, not punishment, saves lives. Yet, the most effective support for our family members, friends, and neighbors who use drugs are largely underfunded, and in some cases, outlawed.

Safe consumption sites, like the ones Rhode Island recently legalized, are a prime example of where investment needs to be made and barriers lifted. These medical facilities provide an individual who uses drugs with sterilized equipment and access to health care services and overdose reversal medications as needed, free from fear of criminal prosecution. Already operational in Canada, Australia, and Europe, these facilities are proven to save lives because they bring people out of the shadows to use drugs more safely, access substance use disorder (SUD) treatment information and referrals, and receive immediate medical intervention. In addition to preventing overdoses, safe consumption sites are proven to reduce the incidence of HIV and hepatitis C, among other diseases, benefiting everyone.

Yet despite all of the benefits, the implementation of common-sense programs like these has been stymied by years of stigma-based messaging, fearmongering, and moral panic about drug use. The Trump administration fought tooth and nail to shut down a proposed safe consumption facility in Philadelphia. It is crucial that the Biden administration allow safe consumption sites to operate and save lives in communities across the nation.

The nation also needs an all-hands-on-deck approach to harm reduction, ensuring ubiquitous access to fentanyl test strips, syringe service programs, and naloxone, the overdose-reversing medication. Emergency departments across the country should be ready to provide patients with appropriate screening, SUD medication, and direct referrals for long-term SUD treatment. Additional investments should be made in transportation to drug treatment clinics and more mobile clinics, for which the Biden administration recently loosened restrictions, to reach individuals in rural communities. And jails and prisons should ensure access to medications for opioid use disorder for everyone who needs it.

Not only do harm reduction policies like these save lives, but they also often save money. One study shows that $1 spent on new syringes decreased the cost of HIV treatment by $7. A study in California estimated that enrolling someone in a program that uses medication for opioid use disorder would save an average of over $17,000 per year versus detoxification, savings realized in decreased crime. States and localities can save more money by cutting spending on unnecessary and counterproductive criminal justice system expenditures — no longer arresting, prosecuting, convicting, incarcerating, and punishing people for drug possession. That money is better invested in our people’s health, housing, and education, counteracting the despair at the root of the overdose epidemic.

It is time to follow the evidence and make meaningful investments in prevention and treatment programs that will curb the horrific number of needless deaths. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how smart investments in public health can save countless lives. We must make smart investments in our prevention and treatment infrastructure to ensure people at risk of overdose can receive the care and support they need.