Conversation w/ a DACA Recipient

cold pizza party

This week we have a cold pizza party first, an interview! Better yet, an interview with our friend and DACA recipient Andrea De La Vega. She tells us what it’s like to live with precarious status in this country for most of your life. She explains how she ended up in such awful circumstances despite following the law and conscientiously navigating the Kafka-esque immigration process. We also talk about the concept of borders, traveling back to your hometown in your dreams, and how the immigration cloud taints even the most beautiful gestures and relationships. Also Ljubica get’s really into Andrea’s story and says “yeah” a lot. (Sorry.) Andrea's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.d.vega.7 As the DACA debacle continues, it’s important that your voice is heard. Please check out the links below for steps you can take to put pressure on congress. My recommendation is that you go here: https://whoismyrepresentative.com Find your congress person’s number and use this script: Hello, My name is ____, and I am one of your constituents. I am calling to express my discontent with the White House’s decision to end DACA and ask Senator/Representative ______ to support legislative action that will protect immigrants affected by the termination of DACA. Eight hundred thousand lives are affected because of the president’s decision to end DACA, and now it is time for Congress to pass a law that would provide a pathway to citizenship for this group of immigrants. Does Senator/Representative _____ currently support the Dream Act or Hope Act? If you are told your representative/senator supports either the Dream (in the Senate) or Hope Act (in the House of Representatives), say thank you and let them know you applaud that decision. If you are told your representative/senator does not support either the Dream or Hope Act, ask the staffer to explain why. Then, let the staffer know the human and economic impact that leaving 800,000 youth undocumented would have (see script for the White House above). If you are told your representative/senator has not made up his or her mind on the Dream or Hope Act, let the staffer know you urge the representative/senator to support these legislative efforts. (Script link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/daca-has-ended-you-are-outraged-heres-what-you-can_us_59ae4bd7e4b0c50640cd619e) But here are some other great options too: http://weareheretostay.org/call/ https://ssl.capwiz.com/aclu-action/issues/alert/alertid=78557626&type=CO&ms=web_170905_immigrantsrights_DREAMAct https://www.thecut.com/2017/09/how-to-find-daca-protests-donate-call-congress.html Outro: Elephant Gym-Light (燈)