United We Dream Says Senate Democrats Are Failing Immigrant Youth and the Country

Feb 7, 2018
5:05 PM

Here is what United We Dream has said about the latest Senate budget deal between Republican and Democratic leadership that did not include a decision on DACA:

Washington, DC — Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced a deal on government spending which does not include protections for immigrant youth whose lives are in danger.

Since Trump killed the Deferred Action program, over 17,000 immigrant youth have lost their protections from deportation and 850 more are losing it every week joining the millions who have no protection at all from Trump’s agents.

Greisa Martinez Rosas, Advocacy Director for United We Dream and potential beneficiary of the Dream Act said:

“When Trump killed DACA, Chuck Schumer looked me in the eye and laid out a plan of action to protect immigrant youth and failed to deliver a legislative solution to the crisis we face.

“With Trump’s agents breathing down our necks we have had to protest the Senate Democratic leaders just to get them to stand firm. As a vibrant resistance to Trump’s unpopular white supremacist vision grows in cities across the country, Chuck Schumer has failed to be the strategist we need to win.

“Immigrant youth and the country need the Dream Act—a bipartisan bill to protect immigrant youth and create a pathway to citizenship.

“Right now, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is on the floor speaking about the need for the Dream Act and I am sitting outside of her office waiting for an answer about whether House Democrats will join Senator Schumer or if she will keep her word to not support a spending bill without the Dream Act.

“As I write these words, hundreds of immigrant youth and our allies are at this very moment rallying and even getting arrested at the Capitol calling on House Republicans and Democrats to deliver the Dream Act. We are doing our part, it is past time for Congress to do theirs.”

Meanwhile, on the floor of the House, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been talking all day, asking that Speaker Paul Ryanhold a vote on a legislative fix on DACA.

And this all happened why undocumented youth and allies got arrested for demonstrating at the Hart Senate Office Building.