During one of the last days before Congress must pass a bill to fund the government through January 2018, more than 1000 Dreamers and advocates took over Capitol Hill to demand the passage of a clean Dream Act.
Wearing bright orange T-shirts and hats — “the color of hope and resistance [led] by undocumented people” as one tweet explained — members of United We Dream and other activists staged a “die-in” where they blocked Congressional tunnels and passageways, forcing members of Congress and their staff to acknowledge their presence.
Dreamers across the country have been gathering for weeks in Washington, DC, to make it clear to members of Congress that they want the Dream Act and need it now. This week, Dreamers staged sit-ins at over 50 Congressional offices — both Democrats and Republicans — to, as they put it, “fight for their right to exist.” And they aren’t going away.
“We will inconvenience you,” said one tweet from today. “We will be in your way every step of the way if you vote to deport immigrant youth.”
Many Republicans are using the March expiration date for DACA as an excuse to not act before then, ignoring the fact that hundreds of Dreamers are already losing status every day. Since the upcoming spending bills are must-pass legislation for Congress, attaching the Dream Act to either a continuing resolution for funding, or the omnibus funding bill for government funding in 2018, is considered to be the bill’s best chance for passing.
View just some of the powerful tweets and photos from today:
