November, 10 2017, 02:15pm EDT
Immigrant Youth, Children Affected by Deportation Hold Dream Act Vigil at Paul Ryan's Home
On Thursday, DACA recipients, youth whose family members have been deported, and supporters from US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's district held a vigil outside Speaker Ryan's Janesville home to urge him to bring a clean Dream Act up for a vote.
JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN
On Thursday, DACA recipients, youth whose family members have been deported, and supporters from US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's district held a vigil outside Speaker Ryan's Janesville home to urge him to bring a clean Dream Act up for a vote. Click here for video. Click here for photos. The vigil came the same day as thousands of immigrant youth and supporters from around the country rallied for the Dream Act a the Capitol.
"Five years ago my uncle was taken from our home," said Wendy Cruz, a sophomore at Park High School in Racine. "ICE pounded on the door, and my brother and I hid in the closet. I watched as my uncle was taken away by ICE in handcuffs. I still have nightmares. No one should have to go through what I have gone through. Later I joined a delegation to Washington D.C. to meet with Paul Ryan. He seemed moved by my story and he told me he would support the Dream Act. That was five years ago. Every home should be a safe place, a sanctuary. We urge Congressman Ryan to allow a vote on the clean Dream Act, so that more immigrant families' homes, like his home, can be sanctuaries."
"When I received DACA I was able to fulfill my dream to work in the medical field," said Alejandra Govantes, a DACA recipient, pharmacy technician, and parishioner of Paul Ryan's church, St. John Vianney in Janesville. "Passing a clean Dream Act will help all of us here today and 800,000 more people in this country. We want Speaker Ryan to give us a chance to succeed, a chance to achieve, let us keep dreaming, just like any other person in this country no matter what color their skin is, no matter what religion they may practice no matter what language they may speak. We all have dreams."
Voces de la Frontera is Wisconsin's leading immigrant rights group - a grassroots organization that believes power comes from below and that people can overcome injustice to build a better world.
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