Dreamers with United We Dream and other advocates returned to Capitol Hill this week to pressure members of Congress to pass the Dream Act — and they’re not taking no for an answer.
Dreamers were last on the Hill in full force in late December, just before Congress passed a continuing resolution that did not include protections for Dreamers. Since then, a federal judge in California has ruled against the Trump Administration’s cancellation of DACA and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to start accepting some Dreamers’ applications again. But since the Trump Administration will likely appeal the decision, the ruling is not permanent protection for Dreamers, and passing the Dream Act is still necessary (and crucial).
Today, the Dreamers swarmed the Hill and the Senate buildings, holding up signs like “Dream Killers” and “you have a choice.” They conducted sit-ins in the offices of Republicans Senators Cornyn, Purdue, Cotton, McConnell, Grassley, Tillis, Lankford, Hatch, Heller, Rubio, Corker, Alexander, McCain, Sullivan, Scott, Portman, Hoeven, Toomey, Sasse and Capito — and many were arrested after an act of civil disobedience in which they refused to leave.
One Dreamer, Nicole Romero, drove to Washington, DC from New Jersey to speak to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. As she said in a statement:
We need the Dream Act because we’re humans, and just because we’re undocumented doesn’t mean we don’t deserve justice and freedom. We had the courage to go to Senator McConnell’s office to share our stories and tell him why it’s so important for our community, and for our country, to pass the Dream Act but he didn’t have the courage to face us.
Rodrigo Trejo, another Dreamer would qualify for the Dream Act, shared the tragic story of his late father who was deported because of a broken tail light:
I’m here today to honor my father who was stopped, detained and deported over a broken tail light. I am broken hearted that he died before I was ever able to see him again. I am all my family has, and I am relying on the Dream Act to allow me to provide security for my family. This is why we fight: because our lives depend on it, and Senator Tillis should know that we do not back down — we will fight until we win.
The Dreamers will be conducting actions on the Hill and around the country all week, in anticipation of the January 19th deadline for Congress to pass a spending bill.
View just some of the photos and videos from today’s action below:
