In the last week of June, as many Americans were planning Independence Day vacations, picnics, and trips to the beach, fourteen young Wisconsin activists packed into a rental van and headed to Washington D.C. to fight for immigrant rights and immigration reform. These young people, mostly high school and college students from Racine and Milwaukee, were members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), the youth affiliate of Voces de la Frontera. They were on their way to join students from across the nation in a whirlwind of activities organized by United We Dream, a national network of students fighting for immigration reform and passage of the Dream Act.
After breakfast and a short walk to the senate building these hundreds of “dreamers,” undocumented youth (and their allies) seeking a path towards citizenship through passage of the Dream Act, packed a hearing room and witnessed the first ever senate hearing on the Dream Act. This was a riveting learning experience for the Wisconsin students who attended, several of whom had the opportunity to give interviews to various members of the press.
That afternoon YES activists were fired up as they joined a crowd of hundreds at the Republican National Committee headquarters. After packing the lobby full of dreamers, a delegation led by YES activist Maricela Aguilar of Milwaukee asked to speak with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. Priebus was previously chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and was instrumental in helping Scott Walker and other republicans take power in the 2010 elections.
Students sang and chanted while waiting patiently in the overheated lobby. Some began to suspect that they had turned off the air conditioning as a way of forcing the activists out. Despite hearing no word on Priebus’ whereabouts, and getting no word from the security guards, the students kept their spirits up by chanting phrases such as “all this hate has got to go,” “motivated, dedicated, downright educated,” and “undocumented and unafraid.” One of the security guards even seemed to be getting down during one of the songs, and at one point was said to have even surreptitiously flashed a quick solidarity fist at some of the protesters.
Eventually the students were greeted by an RNC staffer. Priebus was “not there,” she explained, and surely she had no power to set policy. They must leave immediately, she said sternly, and besides she mocked, it is much cooler outside.
Several students had hoped to share stories about their own heartache, to explain how our nation’s unjust immigration policies separate families, and to urge Priebus and other republicans to support the Dream Act. They also wanted to express their frustration with the Republican party’s continual support of anti-immigrant legislation in order to score cheap political points.Undeterred, the students shared their stories with the RNC staffer and with each other.
Kennia Coronado from YES in Racine said she was “infuriated about what the republicans are doing to our state,” and spoke of how the Dream Act would directly affect her family. Raul Zamora, a student at the University of Texas who would have been eligible for the Dream Act and thus given legal status had the Dream Act become law in 2010, explained that despite being recognized by the state through a full ride scholarship, he was currently under deportation proceedings, and he was hurt that republicans did not recognize his value as an American. Evelyn, an undocumented Florida student born in Colombia spoke of her pain four years ago as she witnessed her mother arrested at a routine traffic stop and eventually deported.
After telling their stories the students peacefully filed out of the lobby. The woman they had addressed their stories to looked visibly shaken. As the students walked by she quietly wished them well. Her mocking tone was gone and replaced by what sounded like sincere concern.
After a quick stop for some ice-cold gelato the Wisconsin students headed back to the episcopal church for food and much needed rest. While some took a quick nap, others waited in line for the showers or called home to loved ones. Others seized the opportunity to mingle and really got to know the other compañeros from throughout the country.
While their bodies were definitely weary, that church was filled with energy. It must have been amazing for those who were undocumented to be able to be in a place with so many other undocumented young people who were facing such daunting circumstances yet were standing tall. It must have been inspiring to be in a place where they were celebrated for their status instead of denounced. And it must also have been powerful to see all the allies, people who were not undocumented, but were willing to stand up for their friends and family.
The next morning, Wednesday, June 29, students participated in the Education Not Deportation Graduation which featured the Deportation Class of 2011. This event was emceed by YES member Maricela Aguilar, and featured pulitzer prize winning journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas as commencement speaker. Vargas spoke about how he was inspired to come out into the open by the other dreamers he had heard about who were marching and protesting, and how he decided to use his high profile in order to help the movement.
The event also featured the stories of several courageous undocumented youth who are currently in deportation proceedings and whose pleas for relief from the Obama administration have either been met with silence or opposition.
Mandeep Chahal, a UC Davis pre-med student, explained that she had been ordered to be deported, but was saved at the last minute by a very public campaign on her behalf. Of course the success of her campaign, buoyed in large part due to her excellent academic record, history of community involvement, and the support of teachers, family, friends, and community leaders. Her success, of course, demonstrates the arbitrary nature of immigration "enforcement," and speaks volumes about the actual level of "discretion" the president could use if he wanted in order to essentially bring a halt to deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Senator Dick Durbin, long-time Dream Act ally from Illinois was also present. He was pressed at one point by the emcee Aguilar to deliver a message from the dreamers directly to President Obama (Durbin was known to have had a scheduled lunch meeting with Obama that afternoon). The message was that unless Obama uses his executive discretion to halt deportation proceedings against dreamers and their families, they will not support his upcoming campaign for reelection.
Immediately following the graduation over two hundred undocumented youth and their allies marched en masse to the White House to deliver that same message. They demanded that President Obama stop turning his back on their communities and that he go beyond lip service and use his authority to stop the raids and deportation of undocumented workers and families who have committed no crimes.
Several undocumented youth who are currently in deportation proceedings stood before the White House and chained themselves together as a symbol of their continued oppression under the Obama administration. While Obama says he supports the Dream Act and these dreamers, his actions tell a different story, as deportations have increased during his presidency.
Chanting “end our pain or no campaign,” and holding signs saying “Obama deports dreamers,” the crowd turned its back on the White House, symbolic of their pledge to withhold support for Obama in his reelection campaign if he does not deliver for their communities.
After giving more interviews to the press and group photos in front of the White House, everyone made their way just a few blocks where lunch was hosted at the AFSCME International headquarters. Everyone had a chance to debrief, and several people rose to speak about why they were there, and what they had learned from the experience. Emails and numbers were exchanged, before finally the YES activists had to pile back into the van. They were exhausted in body but energized in spirit, and prepared for the long drive home.
A shorter version of this article was previously published by Voces de la Frontera.
For video of these events please visit: http://laluchasigueysigue.blogspot.com/2011/07/education-not-deportation-videos.html
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