We Need a Breakthrough and a Solution

Members of Congress voted this week to support a proposal by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to end the Trump Shutdown without any resolution of key issue priorities. The agreement includes a promise from Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to end his refusal to allow the Dream Act to be voted upon.

There is no way to spin this – immigrant youth will suffer in detention camps and be deported because both parties delayed a breakthrough on the Dream Act today. United We Dream and our members are outraged because our members, including my brother Jonathan, are in greater danger today because of the cowardice of US Senators.

Trump killed DACA and then he and his staff blew up bipartisan progress. Instead of standing up for principle and for the lives of young people, Congressional leaders met the moment with games.

There is no way to spin this – immigrant youth will suffer in detention camps and be deported because both parties delayed a breakthrough on the Dream Act today.

Many Democrats refused to take a stand and only did so after immigrant youth and allies held sit-ins and got arrested at their offices. I heard Senator Tim Kaine brag about resisting Trump’s agenda at the Women’s March this weekend only to see him vote to enable it two days later. Senators who voted today for the promise of a symbolic vote on the Dream Act are not resisting Trump – they are enablers. Republicans played games too, holding the Dream Act hostage and pitted the safety of immigrant youth against children’s healthcare, proving their cruelty to the world.

Senators can and must deliver on the Dream Act by February 8th. We don’t need a symbolic vote – we need a breakthrough and a solution.

Immigrant youth will keep fighting for the Dream Act because our lives and the moral center of this country are at stake.

United We Dream leaders represent the best of this country. We wear our orange hats and shirts with pride knowing that we are doing everything in our power to resist the hatred of Trump and will hold both parties accountable to protecting our people and the values this country is supposed to represent.

By Cristina Jiménez

Cristina Jiménez, Executive Director and Co-Founder of United We Dream unitedwedream.org.

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