Long Island Dream Act Coalition Endorse a Clean DREAM Act

As of October 2017, The Long Island Dream Act Coalition formally endorses a clean DREAM Act. The Long Island Dream Act Coalition is made up of students, teachers, and workers across Long Island who advocate for the rights of undocumented youth. As immigrant youth led groups have made clear around the country- DACA recipients and young immigrants are not bargaining chips for political parties and leaders.

The creation of the DACA program was temporary compromise by the Obama Administration after congress failed to agree on comprehensive immigration reform. During the time DACA was active, over 2 million people were deported, the highest amount in history. Furthermore, policies like quotas on beds for private detention, the militarization of law enforcement, and “felons not families” rhetoric was established and, which laid the groundwork for the onslaught of repression the immigrant community faces today.

As a movement, we must learn from past errors, and it was an error, to allow our community to be separated this way. In order to honestly defend the rights, liberties, and wellbeing of our immigrant community on Long Island, we cannot in good conscience support a compromise that includes the building of a wall on our southern border, criminalizes parents, or increases ICE’s militarized power.

We collectively agree and support the inclusion of Temporary Protection Service (TPS) recipients, those who did not qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and those who may have qualified for DACA but did not apply, into the Federal DREAM Act of 2017.

We respectfully and urgently call on our leaders in congress- Rep. Peter King, Lee Zeldin, Tom Suozzi, and Kathleen Rice, to take action for the 18% of Long Island who are immigrants, for the thousands of DACA recipients, and those with TPS status. Join us in supporting a clean DREAM act for 2017.

Sincerely,

The Long Island DREAM Act Coalition