Standing with DREAMers & Immigrants: Why we must use this moment to come together and defend DACA

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), flanked by leaders of Washington’s immigrant community and Members of Congress, stands with DACA recipients at Bellevue College, urging her Republican colleges to pass the DREAM Act as a first step toward comprehensive immigration reform. The Bellevue College Board of Trustees recently passed a resolution in strong support of the DACA program.

Imagine not knowing if you’ll be able to graduate with your class or obtain your hard-earned degree at the end of the semester because you may be forced out of the only country you’ve ever known.

Or being afraid to run errands or visit with friends in your community for fear that you may be detained.

Or, applying for permission from the federal government to remain in the country, only for that same government to change its mind and instead possibly use your information to locate and deport you.

For the last two weeks, that’s been the reality for hundreds of thousands of people like Jose Manuel, a South Seattle resident and undocumented immigrant who was brought to the U.S. when he was seven years old. He gained temporary authorization to live and work in the United States through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, better known as DACA — before President Trump decided turn his back on these young men and women and rescind the program’s protections for over 800,000 immigrants currently living in the United States, the majority who were brought to the country as children and have been building their lives here ever since.

I met Jose Manuel, and several other Washingtonians just like him, during an event at Bellevue College yesterday, where I joined my colleagues Senator Maria Cantwell, Representative Pramila Jayapal and Representative Adam Smith to hear directly from DACA recipients about their experiences and stand in solidarity with Washington state’s immigrants — our neighbors, co-workers, teachers, students, doctors, first responders, public servants, small business owners, and fellow Americans.

Sen. Murray listens as South Seattle resident Jose Manuel shares his story publicly for the first time about how DACA has allowed him to come out of the shadows and live a more fulfilling life.

Jose shared his story of living undocumented publicly for the first time this week because he said he felt like now was the time to speak up. He spoke passionately about the challenges he’s faced living in the shadows and how DACA has given him and so many others the opportunity to lead full lives. I am inspired by these courageous stories of resilience and love for our country. And it’s why my colleagues and I are urging President Trump and Congressional Republicans to pass the DREAM Act and relieve the fears and anxieties of thousands of our friends and loved ones — because it’s the right thing to do.

In Washington state, more than 17,000 people came out of the shadows to sign-up for DACA, which has allowed so many of them to live their dreams, whether it means going to college, starting a family or being able to care for their loved ones. DACA has been more than a lifeline for its recipients — in fact, Washington state has benefited from the time, talents and resources DACA recipients and other immigrants invest in our communities every day. But over the last two weeks, letters and calls and emails have poured into my office of people sharing their stories, many of them heartbreaking. Because of President Trump’s reckless, hateful agenda, they’re unsure if they can keep their job at a hospital or as a firefighter, or serve in our military to fight for our freedoms. They’re unsure if they can stay in their home or remain with loved ones. They’re unsure how their futures will unfold, or how to even begin planning for them. And they are scared that this country might break its promise and use against them the very information they submitted to enroll in DACA — to find them, and deport them.

That’s not who we are. That’s not what this country — our country — is all about. We know that Washington state is stronger for the contributions of people like Jose Manuel and countless others who have been fighting to claim their stake in our country for so long, and they need us — all of us — to continue standing up, speaking out, and pushing back against the hateful policies and the rhetoric that hurt our communities.

As a voice for Washington state in the United State Senate, I am committed to working to find a permanent solution for DACA recipients that honors not only our nation’s laws, but our values.

And we can’t stop — we won’t stop — until we get it across the finish line.