Outrage and disappointment among 'Dreamers' as government shutdown ends with no DACA deal

Record ID: 984566

  • Title: Outrage and disappointment among 'Dreamers' as government shutdown ends with no DACA deal
  • Date: 23rd January 2018
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 22, 2018) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS AT RALLY CHANTING (English): No Dream Act, no peace" PROTESTERS CARRYING PLACARDS READING (English): "Keep the Dream Act alive" and chanting: "immigrant power" PROTESTERS CARRYING BANNER READING (English): "Clean Dream Act now" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIANA (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), 20, A DACA RECIPIENT, SAYING: "I felt outraged. I'm outraged. We're all furious about what's going on because they have shown us that they do not care about it. All the things, the advertisements that have been going on, show how much that they hate us. But I don't understand why they hate us. We're here working hard, paying our taxes, trying to get a better education, trying to make our community better, yet they don't care. They don't care that we're out here not knowing what's going to happen next." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANNY (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), 20, A DACA RECIPIENT, SAYING: "It's disappointing knowing that certain Democrats voted with the Continued Resolution that will not carry a clean Dream Act. That is honestly something that's, as I said, this isn't an immigration issue any more, it's a humanitarian issue. A humanitarian issue that includes the future leaders of America, the future lawyers, the future teachers, the future citizens of this country. It's something that they should honestly take into consideration when they're voting and when they're thinking about whether or not to vote yes or no." (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUIS CRUZ, 24, A DACA RECIPIENT, SAYING: "It's just another form of betrayal. I've lived my entire life in this country, I've pledged allegiance to its flag and so for them to say that they're not willing to protect us, it's a betrayal." 00:01:39:20 VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CARRYING BANNER READING (English): "Clean Dream Act now" AND " Keep the Dream Act alive" VARIOUS OF 23-YEAR-OLD DACA RECIPIENT MELODY K (NO LAST NAME GIVEN) SPEAKING TO COLLEAGUE AT COALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS (CHIRLA) OFFICES POSTER ON WALL READING: (English) "STOP SEPARATING FAMILIES" POSTER ON WALL READING: (English) "REFORM IMMIGRATION FOR AMERICA" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DACA RECIPIENT AND YOUTH ORGANIZER AT CHRILA, MELODY K (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), 23, SAYING: "The reality is that we have 122 people losing their DACA, their status, their driver’s license, their protection from deportation every single day. And after March 6, we expect 1,400 to lose that protection every day so it comes back to us to push back and to say 'no, the urgency is now.'" POSTER ON WALL READING: (English) "FAMILIES FIGHTING BACK" POSTER ON WALL READING: (English) "EDUCATION" (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIRLA POLICY ADVOCATE ISABEL J. SANCHEZ, SAYING: "On the Senate side we have the Dream Act which is a bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation and bringing that to the floor and getting commitment or actually bringing it to the floor would have been great for us. To pass it along with this must pass continued resolution that had to go on to operate the government would have been ideal for us to actually have something on the table that really provides the permanent solution for dreamers." VARIOUS OF POSTER ON WALL DEPICTING FAMILY WITH THE CAPTION (English) "KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER"
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2018 03:33
  • Keywords: House Dreamers Republicans Democrats government undocumented Senate shutdown immigrants young DACA
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0017ZBZ613
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Young "Dreamers" brought to the United States illegally as children were angry and disappointed on Monday (January 22) after the U.S. Congress approved a temporary spending bill to end a three-day government shutdown without a deal to shore up their shaky legal status.
    U.S. Senate Democrats accepted the bill to restore funds to keep the government running for three more weeks in exchange for a promise by Republicans to hold a debate on the status of the young immigrants.
    "I'm outraged," said 20-year-old student and DACA recipient Diana, who was brought to the U.S. from Peru by her parents when she was five years old. "I don't understand why they hate us. We're here working hard, paying our taxes, trying to get a better education, trying to make our community better, yet they don't care. They don't care that we're out here not knowing what's going to happen next."
    Luis Cruz, 24, came to the U.S. on a medical visa from Mexico when he was three years old after he suffered third degree burns on 80 percent of his body. His DACA status expires in March.
    "It's just another form of betrayal. I've lived my entire life in this country, I've pledged allegiance to its flag and so for them to say that they're not willing to protect us, it's a betrayal," he said at a rally in downtown Los Angeles to call for a "clean" Dream Act to be passed.
    Melody K, 23, was brought to the United States from Guatemala when she was 9 and only found out she was undocumented when she was applying for college at the age of 17. She said she remained hopeful for her future and that of other "Dreamers" and called on people to take action to find a solution.
    Last year, President Donald Trump ordered an end by March to protections provided to the estimated 700,000 Dreamers under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, program, an executive order put in place by former Democratic President Barack Obama.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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