A group of immigrants and their supporters made an impassioned plea for action Saturday morning ahead of the looming March deadline for DREAM Act legislation.
The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition’s statewide Tour of DREAMs Rally attracted about 100 people to Buckley Park who listened to DREAMers and their allies share stories of struggle, success and hope.
“I was brought here when I was 8 years old,” said DREAMer Victor Galvan. “My mom raised me as a single mother. She always told me education was the best way out of poverty.”
Nearly 800,000 lives hang in the balance after President Donald Trump announced in September that he would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Lawmakers were given a window of six months to shield young illegal immigrants from deportation. The bipartisan DREAM Act would give those who were brought into the country illegally and grew up in the United States the right to earn permanent residence and give them a path to American citizenship.
“Undocumented people with all odds stacked against them are fighting for the American dream,” Galvan said. “By my mother’s own will to fight for that American dream, she raised three amazing men.”
The crowd, a diverse mix of young and old, immigrant and native, threw their hands up to chants of, “Si, se puede” or “Yes, we can.”
The handful of speakers each shared stories of family members living in fear of deportation, treating each day as if it were their last in America.
“Every night, my mother would go to bed not knowing what to expect,” said Jossy Martinez. “I remember the struggle my mother went through. DREAMers are being threatened by members of the community, and now this administration.”
Trump set a March 5 deadline for Congress to pass legislation to restore protections he ended by rescinding DACA – but lawmakers remain split over the fate of young undocumented immigrants.
Still, DREAMers remain hopeful for a future in which they can live comfortably without the fear of deportation.
The rally ended with a final battle cry: “Build more bridges, not more walls. If they build it, tear it down.”
