Olivia Alva: Enough talk, time to give us a clean Dream Act
A crucial deadline hangs over lawmakers as year end approaches without a solution to the Dream Act. Through SIREN, I have been able to fight for DACA recipients like my son. Living in Modesto, I see fear when people go shopping, to school or medical appointments. There are consequences from unmet needs and constant stress, there is poverty and hunger due to loss of income and uncertainty about educational futures.
These people contribute millions of dollars to the Central Valley economy. A clean Dream Act would create a pathway to citizenship without using DACA recipients as bargaining chips for policies that harm immigrant communities. This means no funding for a border wall; no increased funds for ICE and the Border Patrol, no expanded laws criminalizing immigrants and refugees, and no cuts to family-based immigration. This issue has bipartisan support. Reps. Jeff Denham and David Valadao have expressed support for a legislative solution before the end of the year. But we need them to do more: specifically, commit to a clean Dream Act and be willing to withhold votes on federal spending until that happens.
Join a rally for a clean Dream Act, Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. at the Robert Coyle Federal Building, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno
Olivia Alva, Modesto
This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Olivia Alva: Enough talk, time to give us a clean Dream Act."