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A Clean Dream Act by Christmas

Five years ago I spent several months helping about a  dozen young people apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. As you know, that’s generally abbreviated D.A.C.A. These were all youngsters that we’d met in school and who we were impressed by or, in some cases, we knew their parents. Generally, I went up to the trailer court where they lived to work through the paper pile that included an application for deferred action on their potential deportation and an application to get a Social Security card. Sometimes I translated their birth certificates from Spanish to English. I did the work for free because I did, and do, love these kids. Well, they’re  not kids anymore but their well articulated dreams, their decency, their respect and love for their parents, and their vulnerability stole my heart.

Like young people do, many of the DACAmented youngsters have left the community but a few are still here. Occasionally I see those who have moved away when I attend fiestas. Those who live here I see more often. If you live here you see them too . . . in offices, behind cash registers, at the bank or store. They belong here with the young families that they’ve started and the home mortgages they’ve been courageous enough to sign. 

We need to watch out for these young families.

On Wednesday, December 6th, about fifty people marched to Congressman Collin Peterson’s office in Marshall, Minnesota. The group was made up of the Lyon County DFL, the college Spanish Club, the   Marshall Area Peace Seekers, and other Marshall residents. A few of us from Long Prairie joined the march by calling the office. Peterson wasn’t there but he sent the marchers a letter. He criticized Trumps immigration policies and said this in the letter:

"Additionally, those who were brought to the U.S. as children, raised as Americans and are studying or working legally should not be the targets of policy. The current uncertainty over their status is not right and only a bipartisan solution will bring the long-term certainty needed so people can plan their lives and be productive members of society.”



That’s good but vague. We need Rep. Peterson to be clear and to take action. Each day he and Congress wait, over a hundred people in the US with DACA status lose their work permit. What is happening to the families, to the home mortgages, and to the employers when they lose permission to work? 

Will you notice when people start disappearing from their work places in our community?

I didn’t launch Central Minnesota Political to promote petitions and I won’t use it to do so in the future.

But I’ve got to do everything I can to help my friends. So here’s the petition to Congressman Peterson that I started.

Will you please sign it? It’s a long shot but we must do something.

"Minnesota Representative Collin Peterson has said that he supports immigration reform that supports DREAMers. But he's been vague on what he means. Now is the time for Rep. Peterson to step forward and publicly state that he supports, and will work for, a Clean DREAM Act as part of a continuing resolution to keep the government running after December 22nd." 

Will you sign my petition? Click here to add your name: 


Thanks! 

Tim

PS: To learn more about the movement for the DREAM Act visit United We Dream at https://unitedwedream.org






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