TO THE EDITOR:
Standing beside “DREAMers” from all over the country, the resounding roar of chanting filled my ears: “Si se, si se puede!”
At a rally near the Capitol in Washington D.C., I witnessed people from all walks of life imploring Congress and the President to protect “DREAMers,” or undocumented immigrants who are protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
DACA grants two-year deportation deferrals to people who came to the US as children and who meet certain requirements, such as a lack of a criminal record. Because of recent actions taken by President Trump, though, many people are losing their DACA status or have already lost it. This has created significant ambiguity and uncertainty for undocumented immigrants.
North Carolina has the 7th-highest number of “DREAMers” in the nation. As a proud North Carolinian, an immigrant and a 2017 graduate of UNC, I want my undocumented friends and their families to have the same access to solid educational opportunities as I did.
Support for a “Clean” DREAM Act that demilitarizes the border zone directly accords with my Representative’s pro-family values. As the granddaughter of immigrants, Rep. Virginia Foxx should understand the plight of families seeking opportunities and better lives for themselves in the US.
I therefore urge Rep. Foxx to support a “Clean” DREAM Act that offers educational opportunities to DREAMers without imposing border security measures that will likely tear apart families in the border areas.
Leona Amosah
Winston-Salem
