A group of ten protesters—including Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, New York Congressman Rep. Adriano Espaillat, and New York City Council President Melissa Mark-Viverito—were among the immigrant rights advocates arrested during a demonstration in front of Trump Tower in New York City earlier Tuesday, where they staged an act of civil disobedience to demand a vote on a clean, bipartisan DREAM Act following Donald Trump ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“We’re taking the necessary steps to make it clear to President Trump, the Republicans and the Democrats that we will continue this peaceful fight for DREAMers and immigrants as long as it takes to enact legislation and put DREAMers in a safe place,” said Rep. Gutiérrez. “A few congressmen and elected-officials gathering in front of Trump Tower doesn’t mean much if it is not backed up by the grassroots and allies and today we are standing with diverse allies to make sure Congress and the president do more than just talk about solutions, they actually follow through with action.”
"The speaker was proud to take part in a national action with congressional members from across the country to stand up to President Trump and defend the hundreds of thousands of DREAMers who help make our country great," said Robin Levine, a spokesperson for Mark-Viverito.
“Immigrants’ lives are not bargaining chips. Plain and simple,” said Kica Matos, spokesperson for the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM). “Democrats and Republicans need to stand up for DREAMers—and the 11 million undocumented immigrants—without adding a single dollar to Trump’s deportation agenda. Congress needs to pass a clean Dream Act now and stop playing games with people’s lives.”
An overwhelming majority of American voters favor passing legislation protecting undocumented immigrant youth, and they favor passing it now. Call your congressional members today and tell them to stand by DACA recipients and immigrant youth by demanding a clean vote on the bipartisan DREAM Act now.