President Obama's announcement that DREAMers would not be deported and would be allowed to work openly filled my soul with joy. Not only because of how much it means to me that my Dreamer friends and their families will be spared the painful uprooting of deportation. Not only because of how much it helps all the Dreamers I've yet to meet but whose lives, trials and accomplishments I deeply care about. As much as Dreamers matter to me, and they do, immensely, I didn't rejoice just for them. No, I also truly rejoiced for this country as a whole:
This country was built on a DREAM: A dream of freedom, of opportunity, the belief that if you put in the hard work you could be anything you wanted to be, that you could achieve anything. It was that dream that inspired waves of migration, that brought so many to build railroads and work the fields, that drove so many to join the beautiful diversity that helps make the United States the country that it is today. It was that dream of opportunity that awakened the desire of parents to bring their small children, seeking to give them a better life. These children who were too young to make that choice themselves, who grew up here, undocumented, we call Dreamers. And in a way it is that same Dream that fuels our struggle for the DREAM Act today. Dreamers too have had to seek the land of opportunity where they live, where they might have grown up but where their fulfillment has been denied for too long. Dreamers have inspired me as they have inspired so many because they embody the struggle to belong, to grow, to achieve and to give back as much as they possibly can. Through education and their desire to work Dreamers not only better themselves but the country they grew up in, the land they love. When this nation opens its arms to Dreamers, it's getting closer to a more complete fulfillment of its fundamental promise. It is this embrace that brings us closer to a more perfect union, a nation with an arc bending towards justice. So I am happy for the Dreamers, I am happy as an immigrant, but I am also happy as a United States citizen. Belonging to this generous, diverse nation is a privilege that Dreamers deserve, and I am proud of our President protecting Dreamers from deportation, hopefully until the day that they too can become citizens themselves.
President Obama knows how deeply the dreamer struggle is bound to the fabric of the nation. He's said that this is only a first, necessary but temporary step. And like so many of us, believes congress must pass the DREAM Act which offers a path to citizenship. The President and a majority of Democrats support us in our efforts to achieve a comprehensive immigration reform that is humane and practical. We will not surrender that goal, that dream. Yes, this is a first step, but it changes everything. It is through such steps that we will make our way ahead. So I ask of you, will you take these steps with us? We're marching together into the light.
Si, Se Puede!
Andres
The President also explained his decision to back DREAMers to Time Magazine: http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/17/a-nation-of-laws-and-a-nation-of-immigrants/#ixzz1yKg5XHfT
To stand with President Obama and ask congress to pass the DREAM Act in full go to: http://leftaction.com/action/stand-pres-obama-pass-dream-act
To learn more about the administrative Relief for DREAMers through deferred action join United We Dream's web seminar here: http://
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