“Undocumented! Unafraid!”
One of the chants heard on December 15, when more than 200 people marched the cold rainy streets in Washington D.C, to demand a path to citizenship for immigrant youth. United We Dream, an organization that focuses on immigration rights for youth, rallied members from all over the country to come together to let their voices be heard that they exist and want citizenship.
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was a measure to provide temporary legal protection to undocumented youth from deportation. 600,000 DACA recipients (188,000 in California) have been able to have jobs and attend schools. However, it is TEMPORARY and could change or end the program altogether, which could have them to lose their jobs and statuses. UWD is asking Congress to prioritize permanent protections for immigrant youth now and not wait until DACA is terminated. The clock is ticking.
Every year in a 5-day event, UWD members traveled to Washington D.C. to get to know each other, the plans, and preparations for the march. During Covid, the participation would have been around 40 members, but this year around 200 members showed up. There were community-building events that had the members interact with each other since a lot of them that showed up were new members that have never attended before. One-on-one training with some members as they were going to speak with senators of their state. These members would be giving their stories and struggles of being an immigrant and asking if their senators will
“. . . commit to making permanent protections for immigrant youth and DACA recipients a top end-of-year priority? And ensuring that permanent protections for them are part of any must-legislation this year?”
On the third day, UWD marched down to Union Square in front of the United States Capitol during the night and held a vigil. The vigil was to remember the lives of loved ones that they aren’t able to see anymore because they have been detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or Border Patrol.
The next day, each member from each state went to the capitol to speak to his or her state senator (Dianne Feinstein – CA).
The next day, as it started to shower, we threaded over the puddles to make our way to the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, near the State Capitol. We all prepared to get ready for the march. Some members volunteered to play a role in the event. Marshall – Watch and direct traffic to make sure the people are marching in the intended direction and staying safe. CareBear – Provide support to any people in the march to see if they need material or emotional support. Peacekeeper – prevent any situation or individual from escalating. And the most dangerous role, Bunny – Intentionally sitting down and committing civil disobedience by ignoring the police’s orders when they say to move. The Police would then give you a misdemeanor and you would have to pay a fine (paid for by UWD).
As they were all preparing for the event, they were given the news that Congress has decided to not move forward with anything that would give undocumented youth permanent citizenship. The room was quiet as members took time to process the unfortunate news. One member of the crowd asks, “What was all this for then?” Multiple people gave their answers that although they didn’t get what they wanted through congress, what they got were the connections they built and established with each other as they got to hear each other’s struggles and experiences. Members from different states come together to see what they were all going through and will be able to leave knowing that the connections have been linked to building a bigger community! Everyone will continue to grow as they keep fighting for citizenship.
Knowing that UWD members were all ready to march onto the streets. Wearing raincoats, and holding umbrellas holding posters and megaphones, they began to march around The United States Capitol. The rain didn’t stop them as they chanted and continued to make their voices heard.
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom! It is our duty to win! We must love and support one another! We have nothing to lose but our chains!”
The plan with the bunnies did not go through as UWD also got word that the punishment for civil disobedience could be more severe. The police were also driving with police buses around the march, so they intended to arrest multiple marchers. For safety reasons and not knowing how far the punishment could escalate, UWD decided to cancel the plan with the bunnies. The march still continued as planned and ended back at the church with everyone safe and unharmed.
On the last day, UWD was feeling exhausted but inspired and grateful that they were able to come through and learn so many experiences and meet many communities. Everyone left stronger and more committed.
On December 20, Congress released the 2023 Omnibus appropriations bill, which doesn’t bring up citizenship for undocumented, but it does bring up funding of $15,000,000 in Customs and Border Protection. Completely ignoring the stories and experiences that DACA recipients and their friends and loved ones have gone through and continue to go through. UWD and the 1 million members will still continue to fight for citizenship for undocumented, as they are a part of our community.
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