With no permanent immigration fix by DACA deadline, Dreamers amp political mobilization
by Nicole Acevedo
Disappointed over the lack of action by the White House and Congress over the long-term fate of DACA and immigration reform, Dreamers are focusing their energies on this year’s elections and mobilizing through political action.
In September, President Donald Trump marked March 5 as the last day of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, better known as DACA. The Obama-era executive action allowed young undocumented immigrants illegally brought to the U.S. as young children to apply to work and study in the country without fear of deportation.
But two federal judges blocked the Trump administration from rescinding the program and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the government’s appeal, which expanded Dreamers’ time frame to garner congressional support for a permanent solution.
“They kind of gave people a relief,” said Astrid Silva, a DACA beneficiary and co-founder of Dream Big Vegas in Nevada who has been involved in immigrant and political activism for nearly 10 years. She worked with former Sen. Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, and put pressure on the Obama administration before the former president announced the DACA program.
On Monday, hundreds of Dreamers and allies marched in Washington from the American History Museum to the U.S. Capitol — blocking intersections and facing arrests — to demand that Congress pass legislation. Early Monday morning, some of the protesters staged a sit-in blocking the entrance to the Democratic National Committee headquarters. In it, some were publicly revoking their Democratic Party affiliation.
To read the full article click here