On Monday, November 27th a group of Iowans visited Senator Grassley’s Davenport office to ask Senator Grassley to protect Iowa’s 3,000 DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients (also known as Dreamers). The visit was organized by the Civil Rights Forum of PACG.
Nancy R., who is a DACA recipient, shared her personal story. Without action in Congress Nancy, and thousands of others like her in Iowa, will lose her work permit, lose her driver’s license, lose her ability to earn a living and care for her U.S. citizen child, and will be at risk for deportation to a country that is not her home.
Candice H. is a U.S. citizen married to a Dreamer, someone she has known for 10 years, even before DACA was available. She spoke movingly of her husband’s struggles before DACA, how he has thrived in his jobs since he became a DACA recipient, and her fears for herself and their two-year-old son if her husband is deported. She shared pictures of her family, including the extended family here that would be negatively impacted if she and her husband are forced to move to Mexico.
Others in the group spoke passionately of our concern for the Dreamers. Reverend Rich Hendricks spoke of the moral issue of assuring Dreamers they would be protected from deportation if they shared their personal information, only to turn around years later and betray their trust by using that information to deport them. Pat Welch addressed the fact that our country has always provided different paths to citizenship, including through military service. In fact, immigrants are an important part of the military, especially the Navy. Of the seven sailors lost in June when the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a container ship, three were immigrants. Alta Price pointed out that Iowa needs the Dreamers – young, hard-working, law-abiding community members educated here who have jobs and businesses that contribute to Iowa’s economic growth. Although as non-citizens they receive no government benefits, they still pay taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes that benefit Iowa senior citizens.
We asked Senator Grassley to support the 2017 Dream Act, which protects current DACA recipients, allows more recent childhood arrivals to be protected, and provides a path (a very long path) to citizenship for them. As a nation of immigrants, we should continue to welcome all deserving immigrants, including the Dreamers, who only want to be part of this great country, the only home they have known.
The photo shows some of the members of our group in the lobby after the visit (Jane Duax had to leave for another meeting). From left to right: Pat Welch, Rev. Rich Hendricks, Alta Price, (Jacqueline) Candice H., Nancy R. (one photo) or Elizabeth (Bizzie) Braun (the other photo).
Click here to learn more about DACA.
Click here to call your member of Congress and ask them to support the 2017 Dream Act.
Come to our next Civil Rights meeting on Thursday, December 14, 5:15 pm, at The Center in Davenport (1411 Brady St) to plan more actions to help DACA recipients.
Email Alta Price if you live in Iowa and would like to make a visit to Representative Loebsack’s office about DACA.
Email Margie Mejia-Caraballo if you live in Illinois and want to visit Senator Durbin, Senator Duckworth, or Representative Bustos.
Nancy R., who is a DACA recipient, shared her personal story. Without action in Congress Nancy, and thousands of others like her in Iowa, will lose her work permit, lose her driver’s license, lose her ability to earn a living and care for her U.S. citizen child, and will be at risk for deportation to a country that is not her home.
Candice H. is a U.S. citizen married to a Dreamer, someone she has known for 10 years, even before DACA was available. She spoke movingly of her husband’s struggles before DACA, how he has thrived in his jobs since he became a DACA recipient, and her fears for herself and their two-year-old son if her husband is deported. She shared pictures of her family, including the extended family here that would be negatively impacted if she and her husband are forced to move to Mexico.
Others in the group spoke passionately of our concern for the Dreamers. Reverend Rich Hendricks spoke of the moral issue of assuring Dreamers they would be protected from deportation if they shared their personal information, only to turn around years later and betray their trust by using that information to deport them. Pat Welch addressed the fact that our country has always provided different paths to citizenship, including through military service. In fact, immigrants are an important part of the military, especially the Navy. Of the seven sailors lost in June when the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a container ship, three were immigrants. Alta Price pointed out that Iowa needs the Dreamers – young, hard-working, law-abiding community members educated here who have jobs and businesses that contribute to Iowa’s economic growth. Although as non-citizens they receive no government benefits, they still pay taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes that benefit Iowa senior citizens.
We asked Senator Grassley to support the 2017 Dream Act, which protects current DACA recipients, allows more recent childhood arrivals to be protected, and provides a path (a very long path) to citizenship for them. As a nation of immigrants, we should continue to welcome all deserving immigrants, including the Dreamers, who only want to be part of this great country, the only home they have known.
The photo shows some of the members of our group in the lobby after the visit (Jane Duax had to leave for another meeting). From left to right: Pat Welch, Rev. Rich Hendricks, Alta Price, (Jacqueline) Candice H., Nancy R. (one photo) or Elizabeth (Bizzie) Braun (the other photo).
Click here to learn more about DACA.
Click here to call your member of Congress and ask them to support the 2017 Dream Act.
Come to our next Civil Rights meeting on Thursday, December 14, 5:15 pm, at The Center in Davenport (1411 Brady St) to plan more actions to help DACA recipients.
Email Alta Price if you live in Iowa and would like to make a visit to Representative Loebsack’s office about DACA.
Email Margie Mejia-Caraballo if you live in Illinois and want to visit Senator Durbin, Senator Duckworth, or Representative Bustos.
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