Minneapolis, MN – On Feb. 28, students from multiple Minneapolis middle and high schools walked out of classes to demand a clean Dream Act. More than 75 students rallied briefly at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park before travelling to the University of Minnesota campus and marching to the office of Senator Amy Klobuchar. Once they arrived at Klobuchar’s office, students stormed into the building and refused to leave until the senator agreed to meet with them.

While a delegation of the students met with one of Senator Klobuchar’s aides, the rest of the students continued to hold a sit-in in the building’s lobby. It was only after the senator agreed to schedule a meeting that students left, promising to return if Klobuchar fails to get a meeting on the books by the deadline of March 2. As they filed out of the office building, students chanted “We believe that we will win!” and “We’ll be back!”

The students are demanding that Senator Klobuchar support a clean Dream Act, one that doesn’t tie the legalization of some immigrants to the criminalization and deportation of others by imposing things like increased border militarization or an increase in policing of immigrant communities. Congress and the Trump administration have said that they won’t do one without the other.

The students who walked out on Wed. joined a growing number of students and youth around the country who are demanding that Congress take action for a clean Dream Act. There are around 800,000 immigrant youth who currently have DACA, all of whom are in jeopardy of losing legal status with Trump’s order to end the program. While rulings by two federal district courts have forced the Trump administration to continue the program while legal challenges continue, this is only a temporary reprieve. Young immigrants are demanding permanent protection.

Students focused their protest on Senator Klobuchar because earlier this year, just two days into the government shutdown, she played a key role pulling together a ‘moderate’ caucus that voted to end the shutdown by giving their votes for a budget, without winning anything concrete for immigrant youth. All they got was a promise from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell that he’d let immigration be discussed in the Senate. And as could be predicted, the Senate then discussed immigration but didn’t pass any bills. The fate of 800,000 young immigrants that will be at risk of deportation with the end of DACA was left twisting in the wind.

At Klobuchar’s office on Wednesday, students, some of whom are DACA recipients themselves, stood up and refused to allow the senator abandon earlier promises to take action on immigration. At the same time, they made it clear that they aren’t going to accept any legislation that sells out other immigrants or further criminalizes immigrant communities. If Klobuchar refuses to schedule an appointment to meet with the students by March 2, they have promised to return to her office.

The protest was organized by members of the Interracial Student Movement (ISM) and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), who were joined by members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Navigate.

#MinneapolisMN #SenatorAmyKlobuchar #CleanDREAMAct

Denver, CO – More than 50 people gathered in Denver’s Civic Center Park, Feb. 7, and marched to U.S. Senator Michael Bennett’s office. The protesters are frustrated over his lack of action to defend DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

“We are here to hold Senator Bennett accountable for failing our communities,” said a leader of the Colorado People’s Alliance.

Another speaker shared a story about her mother being deported, “That’s why I’m here, for my mom and all the other families that are being torn apart.”

In front of the rally, an activist called Senator Bennett on the phone and challenged his empty promises to defend DACA. The crowd then let the senator know their views with loud chants of “Dream Act now!” and “Keep Dreamers, deport Trump!”

“It’s great to see the people standing up to the corrupt ruling class, and the willingness of the community to get out on the streets to confront the attacks of the Trump Regime,” said Shaine Carroll-Frey of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#DenverCO #DACA #CleanDREAMAct #SenatorBennett

Minneapolis, MN – On the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, a group of activists from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) brought day-late gift-wrapped ‘presents’ and a Christmas tree to the Minneapolis office of Senator Amy Klobuchar emblazoned with messages of “Clean Dream Act now,” “Keep families together” and “No more deportations.”

The activists arrived at Senator Klobuchar’s office with the tree and gift-wrapped signs to express the fact that every day that Congress fails to pass a Clean Dream Act is a day too late. President Trump announced the end of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in September without anything to replace it. DACA has been shielding over 800,000 immigrant youth from deportation. Every day, DACA status expires for around 122 more immigrant youth, exposing them to immediate threat of deportation by the Trump administration.

When the MIRAC delegation arrived at Senator Klobuchar’s office, they had a meeting with Senator Klobuchar’s state director, Ben Hill. He led off by saying that Senator Klobuchar agrees with the need for a legislative fix for DACA recipients. Hill also said that one of the reasons Klobuchar voted against the continuing resolution to fund Congress’s budget last week was because it didn’t include a solution for immigrant youth who are losing their DACA status. Votes on the budget are one of the few pressure points the Democrats have in the Republican-controlled Congress, since some Democratic votes are required to pass it. Despite many Democrats voting against it, the Senate Democratic leadership supported and helped to pass the continuing resolution, temporarily funding the government again until Jan. 19, setting the stage for another showdown.

The delegation of MIRAC members at Senator Klobuchar’s office included a high school student who is a DACA recipient, along with several other immigrants and supporters. The DACA recipient, a 16-year-old Minneapolis high school student, starkly expressed the urgency of the situation, saying “my days are numbered” and expressing that she is not the only one – there are thousands more in her situation in Minnesota. She demanded immediate action to protect immigrant youth.

The members of the MIRAC delegation said that they expect Minnesota’s senators and representatives to not just vote the right way, but to take the next step and “stick their necks out” by actively working to convince the leadership of their party to make a stand for immigrant youth and refuse to vote for another budget before the upcoming Jan. 19 budget deadline unless there is a Clean Dream Act, even if that means a government shutdown. They said the rallying cry should be “No Clean Dream Act, no budget.”

Members of the group also emphasized the importance of a “Clean” Dream Act, which means that the legalization of young immigrants must not be paired with repression and deportations of other immigrants, such as increased border militarization and increased raids on immigrants in their communities and workplaces. They spoke about how it doesn’t make sense to try to legalize some young immigrants while targeting their parents and community members for deportation. News reports say some Democratic congressional leaders are negotiating with Republicans for this type of repressive legislation.

The activists said they will keep the pressure on Senator Klobuchar and all Minnesota congress members to help lead the way to pass a Clean Dream Act before the next congressional budget deadline Jan. 19.

#MinneapolisMN #MIRAc #SenatorAmyKlobuchar #CleanDREAMAct

Washington D.C. – On Dec. 15, seven undocumented immigrant youth, now referred to as the #Dream7, risked deportation by staging a sit-in outside of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office in the Capitol building, as part of a wave of protests demanding that Congress pass a clean Dream Act now.

They were arrested and sent to the D.C. jail, where they continue to stage a hunger strike. Among those striking are prominent leaders in the movement for justice for undocumented immigrants, including Belén Sisa, Erika Andiola and others.

Support for the #Dream7 is growing on social media. They are demanding that congress vote before the end of the year on a clean DREAM Act. A clean Dream Act refers to legislation that would give protection from deportation and a path to legal permanent residency and/or citizenship to undocumented youth who were enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President Trump cruelly ended in September, leaving over 800,000 immigrant youths at risk of deportation. The “clean” part of it means that legal status for DACA recipients should not be paired with anything that would harm other immigrants, such as increased militarization of the border or increased raids and arrests of immigrants in the workplace or community.

Sisa’s mother Isa O’Neal says, “What my daughter and the others are doing is part of the struggle! It's our duty to fight for our freedom, it's our duty to win!”

The Legalization for All (L4A) Network, a national network of grassroots immigrant rights organizations around the U.S., supports the struggle for a clean DREAM Act. The network also encourages organizers to continue to fight against any and all deportations regardless of what congress does.

#WashingtonDC #DREAMAct #Dream7 #CleanDREAMAct