The holiday break for Congress is fast approaching and millions are still waiting on legislators to make a decision on The Dream Act. Many politicians in Congress have threatened to shut down the government by not passing a budget for the coming year if a decision on The Dream Act doesn’t happen. The original deadline for that decision was Dec. 8 but Congress managed to pass a small budget bill to fund the government up to a Dec. 22 deadline. Americans and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are applying more pressure to Congress to act before the holiday break to save millions of people who would benefit from The Dream Act.
Immigration rights group United We Dream is bringing the fight directly to Congress.
We will display YOUR message to Congress. Use the hashtag #DreamActNow and your video will play through our gigantic DreamActTron! pic.twitter.com/61hlYXIa0G
— United We Dream (#DreamActNow: 478-488-8059) (@UNITEDWEDREAM) December 12, 2017
The activist group has set up a video screen they call the DreamActTron, which faces the Capitol building and shares stories of DACA recipients and those who would benefit from The Dream Act.
Anyone can participate in the project by posting a video of themselves telling their story on Instagram or Twitter and using #DreamActNow. The DreamActTron will stay in place for the rest of the session, so legislators will be confronted with the stories 24/7.
House Speaker Paul Ryan and others will be forced to see the faces of the people their choices are impacting.
Juan had 35 days. Today is his last day with #DACA.
Due to Congress inaction (@SpeakerRyan & @SenateMajLdr), his DACA will expire tomorrow. Juan will lose his job and he could now be put into deportation proceedings at any moment.
Juan is the reason we need a #DreamActNow. pic.twitter.com/gry834NmMd
— United We Dream (#DreamActNow: 478-488-8059) (@UNITEDWEDREAM) December 14, 2017
According to American Progress, more that 12,000 people have lost their DACA status since the Trump administration rescinded the order on Sept. 5. An estimated 122 people will lose their DACA protections every day that Congress doesn’t pass The Dream Act. Losing DACA is more than losing a protected status. People who lose DACA are losing their access to driver’s licenses, work permits, and a chance at an education.
Congress has the time to act but Speaker Ryan has not acknowledged whether or not The Dream Act will come up for a vote in time.
Yesterday @UNITEDWEDREAM launched their DreamActTron, a giant screen across from Congress that will showcase the stories of immigrant youth eligible for the Dream Act . Every single day members of congress will be reminded of our faces and of their duty to pass a #DreamActNow pic.twitter.com/Wkgx4JEI39
— Mariana A Castro (@marianalesandra) December 13, 2017
According to a PolitiFact fact check, 76 percent, or two-thirds of the American public, support the passage of The Dream Act. With that much support for the measure, why don’t those in Congress want to do what their constituents want?
