Today, the moral arc of the universe tipped that much closer to justice when the Obama Administration announced an immediate halt to all deportations of young people that would be eligible for the DREAM Act. Because of this decision, over one million young people will be spared the risk of deportation.
It is an incredible victory for the DREAM movement and comes after years of struggle, agitation and mobilization by undocumented immigrants and immigrant rights activists. Over the last week, undocumented youth have been organizing sit-ins at Obama campaign offices across the country.
The stuggle is not over. There is still not a clear path for citizenship for these young people and the millions of other undocumented immigrants that live in the United States. But even with the struggle yet to come, today is an incredibly important and deserved day for everyone that worked to make this possible.
The DREAMers courage shows us that when our work is rooted in justice, our generation has the power to move mountains.
Thank you DREAMers.
Thank you for "coming out" and making the invisible cloak of "undocumented" a force for change.
Thank you for risking so much—your careers, your college degrees and your ability to stay in this country—for justice.
Thank you for your boldness in the face of daily injustice.
There are so many lessons and questions for the youth climate movement in the DREAMers fight. How can we better work with and support the work of the immigrant rights movement moving forward? What are the lessons about direct action and civil disobedience that we can use in the fight for climate justice? But before we dive into those questions, let's take today to simply say thank you to all of the people, young and old, that held on and fought for justice.




