PR: Undocumented Youth Response to the State of the Union Address on DREAM Act – video

Press Release:

Last night at his State of the Union Address, President Obama stated “Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge:  The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens.  Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation.  Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.  That doesn’t make sense…  Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship.  I will sign it right away.”

With bold dedication in the State of the Union Address , the President has shown his understanding of some of the realities of undocumented youth.  The President also showed that he has a desire to have a Dream Act put into place, but was his language enough to quell the fears of deportable youth?  It’s one thing to push for something politically difficult, but it’s quite another to be able to follow through, and empty platitudes are legion in politics.

“[We] should all want a smarter, more effective Government… With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow.” With bold language, President Obama has shown that he is willing to act without the support of Congress, but what can Dreamers expect from this?  

Lucy Allain, an undocumented youth who confronted Romney at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City, as someone affected by this issue, responded to the state of the union address through this video. 

Candidate Obama in 2008 said, “one thing we can do immediately is to pass the Dream Act.” However, when it came time for him to back up his words as President through administrative relief he allowed the deportations to flow.  So far, Obama has been to the right of former President Bush: in 2011 alone his administration deported nearly 400,000 immigrants, including DREAM eligible youth, more than any administration before.  

Nevertheless, we are still hopeful and watching President Obama’s actions and we would support him, but he MUST support us in the absence of congressional action. 

This support can come in the form of administrative relief for DREAMers. Administrative relief would be a small investment, on a potentially large return as news outlets have been reminding us for years that the Latino community is the fastest growing demographic of voters in the nation.  

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DRM Capitol Group serves as a voice for undocumented youth and lobbying arm our the dream movement. Our work ensures that undocumented youth are represented in the halls of power and are correctly and directly informed of the actions of Congress, Executive Agencies, and the Courts.

drmcapitolgroup.com

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