Congress: Pass the Dream Act Now

"I am staying in this church with a heavy heart," said Marco Reyes, in sanctuary for five weeks in order to be with his family as his lawyers argue his case. "My family is being torn apart. Millions of others face a similar situation. I am asking you for support," he concluded to a standing ovation.
Reyes spoke at an emergency field hearing on immigration called by Sen. Richard Blumenthal days after Trump did away with DACA, the temporary protection for immigrant children enacted by President Obama.

Blumenthal said he is holding the field hearings because there is no opportunity to do so in Washington DC. The testimonies will be transcribed and entered into the Congressional Record.
Carolina Bortoletto, co-founder of Connecticut Students for a Dream, came from Brazil 19 years ago at age 9. "Being undocumented you can dream, but you can't plan for the future...With DACA my life changed," she said. "I got a job, a drivers' license, a car. Now that is at risk because of the decision to take away DACA."

Her organization is holding clinics across the state and raising funds to inform and assist those in DACA of their rights if Congress does not act by March.

Speaking for the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance, Jesus Morales Sanchez said "the undocumented live in constant fear... not only those with DACA, but other youth and their families." Rejecting attempts to link a Dream Act to the border wall and more enforcement he said "We need real change that won't be used against our families."

Joelle Fishman of the Peoples Center paid tribute to those resisting the terror of deportation and called for "a Senate investigation into the connection between anti-immigrant and white supremacist hate groups and their influence inside government."

"Racial targeting is unconstitutional," she said. "If the constitutional rights of those in DACA can be denied then the constitutional rights of every group and all of us is in danger."

Blumenthal recognized the courage of those who told their stories and said "we're going to win on this issue just as we did on healthcare because the people of America are on our side and we are on the right side of history."