OMAHA — A coalition of immigrant-serving organizations in Nebraska have partnered to launch “We Are All Dreamers,” a campaign created in response to President Trump’s September 5th decision to terminate the DACA program.
The campaign – housed online and on social media platforms – was created to show support for “Dreamers,” immigrant youth eligible for the 2017 DREAM Act. We Are All Dreamers encourages supporters to visit www.WeAreAllDreamers.org to view a message for Dreamers from U2’s Bono and to find ways to show their own support. The organizations launching the campaign include Justice For Our Neighbors – Nebraska (JFON-NE), Heartland Workers Center, Center for Rural Affairs, Centro Hispano and Nebraska Appleseed.
“Rescinding DACA puts the lives of 800,000 young people at risk. This is why the coalition felt it was a critical to encourage others to stand with Dreamers today,” said Emiliano Lerda, executive director of Justice for Our Neighbors – NE. “Through the passage of The Dream Act we have the chance to preserve the economic and cultural vitality of our country. We hope all Americans will unite to show the world We Are All Dreamers.”
Bono, lead singer of rock band U2, recorded the initial message for the campaign. Viewers are encouraged to share their own messages of support for Dreamers using the hashtag #WeAreAllDreamers. Visitors to the web site are also asked to call their United States Senators and Congressmen to urge them to support the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017.
To make it even easier for supporters to donate to the cause, a text-to-donate number has been established. Supporters can simply text “DreamBig” to 50155 and will be prompted to choose the amount of their donation. All donations will be managed by JFON-NE, an organization dedicated to providing free legal services to immigrants across the state of Nebraska and in Western Iowa. The donations received will be divided among the five organizations to increase capacity for immigrant services.
ABOUT DACA AND THE DREAM ACT
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was an immigration policy announced in 2012 by President Obama. It allowed undocumented children who were brought to America to receive a two-year renewable period to work and live in the United States without fear of deportation. President Trump ended the program September 5, 2017. Now 800,000 DACA recipients are at risk of being deported to a country they may not even remember.
The 2017 Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bipartisan bill that would provide a direct road to U.S. citizenship for people who are undocumented, have DACA or temporary protected status (TPS), and who graduate from U.S. high schools and attend college, enter the workforce or enlist in a military program.
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