DREAMers hold out hope despite devastating week in Congress

Alan Gomez | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption DACA Recipients Urge Lawmakers for Support Two young "dreamer" immigrants were joined by Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas outside the Capitol building on Friday to urge lawmakers for their support. (Jan. 19)

Congressional efforts to reach an immigration compromise collapsed in Washington this week, but DREAMers say they've faced — and overcome — bigger obstacles before.

The Senate voted down four bills that could have provided long-term protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children amidst a contentious back-and-forth between Capitol Hill and the White House.

Yet the DREAMers whose future in the U.S. hangs in the balance say they've been fighting for so long that they're used to these seemingly-insurmountable pitfalls.

"If there has been something consistent about our movement since its genesis is that we have not given up and we have only grown in numbers and in support," said Cristina Jimenez, co-founder of United We Dream, a coalition of young undocumented immigrants.

Jimenez even saw some signs of hope hidden behind the congressional stalemate.

She said national support for DREAMer protections are now at historic highs as their situation has taken center stage ever since President Trump announced he was ending the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in September. Recent polls show that anywhere between 65% and 87% of Americans support legal protections for DREAMers.

And she didn't see any opposition on the Senate floor to the underlying purpose behind the bill: Granting long-term protections to DREAMers. The breakdown, she said, was a result of Congress' inability to figure out the other components of the bill, which included money for border security, limits to family-based immigration, and the end of the diversity visa lottery.

"Look at all the proposals that were considered: the one common denominator that got bipartisan support is a pathway to citizenship," for DREAMers, Jimenez said.

The waiting game is still taking a toll.

Trump gave Congress a deadline of March 5 to pass a bill to protect DREAMers, a deadline that is fast approaching as Congress prepares to take a week off following Presidents Day. Federal courts have forced the Trump administration to continue processing renewals for DACA recipients, but that could only be a temporary reprieve if the Supreme Court decides to shut the program down once again.

One DREAMer from Texas said on Twitter: "I cant express how exhausted I am of this." Jimenez said the ongoing uncertainty has created "anguish and anxiety and fear" throughout the community.

#DACA has allowed me to move my life forward. I cant express how exhausted I am of this. How for the past 29 years Ive constantly fought depression back. But now it's like I'm also fighting against the feeling that so many in this country refuse to see my humanity. — #CleanDreamAct (@somfolnalco) February 16, 2018

But Cata Santiago, a 20-year-old DACA recipient who came to the U.S. from her native Mexico when she was 8, said she thinks of her parents whenever she feels beat down.

She recalls the story of how they crossed the Mexican desert to reach the U.S., dehydrated, out of food, and being pushed hard by the coyote who was leading them across the U.S. border. She talked about their early years working in agricultural fields south of Miami, where she used to help out after school.

That's why she doesn't complain about the long road she and other DACA recipients have faced over the years to win deportation protections. And that's why she won't complain about the difficult conditions she's facing as part of a group of 11 young undocumented immigrants who are walking from New York City to Washington, D.C., to call for DREAMer protections.

"Part of this is the community remembering where we came from," Santiago said by phone Friday as her group walked along a road in Elizabeth, N.J. "I've done some reflection on my parents' journey. We just have to keep strong and have that strength and remember how strong we really are."

Contributing: Marilyn Icsman.