Message to Congress—Stand up for the Dreamers

Congress needs to stop playing politics with the lives of immigrant youth and vote on a clean Dream Act without any added enforcement measures that put students and their families at risk of deportation. Urge Congress to pass the Dream Act!​

It’s been a month since 800,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals beneficiaries—“Dreamers”—had the rug pulled out from under them. Despite bipartisan consensus, those in control of Congress continue to hold Dreamers hostage to a set of mean-spirited immigration principles that separate families, gut due process for asylum seekers, roll back protections for unaccompanied children, and prioritize spending billions of dollars to build a Mexican border wall. Congress needs to stop playing politics with the lives of immigrant youth and vote on a Dream Act without any ifs, ands, or buts.

​This week, education groups like ours are pushing to have Congress pass a clean Dream Act. We want to fill their inboxes and make sure they know that we haven’t forgotten.

Many AFT members also happen to be Dreamers. In fact, 20,000 DACA beneficiaries are working as bilingual educators and school support staff in our schools, not to mention the 100,000 undocumented students who graduate from high school every year. This fight is our fight. Our AFT sisters and brothers, and the students we serve, need us to stand up for them right now.

Let’s make sure Congress gets the message. Tell them to pass the Dream Act right now.​