Immigration advocates and members of the student organization Soñando Juntos’ organized a rally today outside of Rep. Will Hurd’s offices.
After two legislative visits where Hurd was present, advocates say that Hurd needs to support a clean Dream Act, a bill that protects young immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally as children.
At the rally, allies and undocumented immigrants shared stories, chanted and demanded support with their community after the previous legislative visits were, according to UTEP sociology senior student Roberto Valadez, not successful.
“They’re for helping the undocumented youth, but they won’t commit to not including more CBP agents, or ICE agents, or more militarization for the border. So we don’t want to throw our community under the bus,” Valadez said.
Julieta Garibay, director of the Texas chapter of United We Dream, said they’re demanding the congressman to be bold, to be a leader and to commit to the Dream Act.
“His unwillingness to commit to the dream act, the fact that he hasn’t said ‘I will commit’ to the face of immigrant youth that have actually talked to him, the fact that he hasn’t committed in the meetings that we have had in this room, in this office, its unacceptable and were here to make it clear,” Garibay said.
Valadez said that without Hurd’s commitment toward the Dream Act, he would be in danger of deportation and that he would lose his birth permit.
“Dr. Natalicio said that she committed to helping undocumented and all people regarding of their illegal status so I’m hopeful that I would be able to keep studying at UTEP,” Valadez said.
Valadez, who is also a member of Soñando Juntos’, invited the people who haven’t “come out of the shadows” to join Soñando Juntos’, a community that Valadez said “backs you up and never leaves you alone.”
“Coming out of the shadows empowered me, it liberated me, and it made me unafraid and now I’m here in front of Will Hurd’s office,” said Valadez. “I invite you all to join the cause and join Soñando Juntos, that way, we can keep fighting for our rights and the rights of the community.”
