Washington, D.C. – Today, United We Dream’s Executive Director, Greisa Martinez Rosas, provided expert witness testimony at a Senate Spotlight Forum convened by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and the Senate Judiciary Committee on the state of DACA. The spotlight forum comes amidst a slate of attacks that are weakening the DACA program bit by bit, including a recent Justice Department decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals that would make it easier to deport DACA recipients.
Recording of the Senate Spotlight Forum is available here [24:50].
During the Spotlight Forum, United We Dream’s Executive Director Greisa Martínez Rosas, said:
“Speaking here today is not just personal. It’s my civic responsibility and part of the long legacy of immigrant youth who show up every single day to organize, advocate, and care for one another where systems have failed. As immigrant youth across the country endure a slate of coordinated attacks, Congress has no choice but to reckon with the truth: only full citizenship can afford communities the stability and dignity we deserve. No longer can those in the highest halls of power treat immigration as a political liability when it has always been where the biggest issues of our time –from economic prosperity to labor stability– converge.
The truth is citizenship is about building a democracy that functions for all of us. I am calling on the Senate to deliver the DREAM Act. But more than that, I am calling on Congressional leadership to carry the torch forward that Senator Durbin has held for so long and to recognize that this moment is bigger than delivering on one bill: it’s about whether you will choose to deliver on the promise of America that has yet to be fulfilled.”
