JDCA ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to pass the Dream Act now

Friends,

I am writing this afternoon after hundreds of Jews turned out this morning on Capitol Hill to demand that Congress pass the Dream Act. The demonstrators sang traditional Jewish songs, wore tallits and chanted “let my people stay” during the sit-in in the Russell Senate Office Building. Dozens of protesters, including many rabbis, were arrested in the course of the demonstration. Jewish Americans, as the descendants of immigrants, understand more than most the moral weight of this issue.

At the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), we reflect those values and work to translate them into results. We denounced the president’s repulsive comments in which he labeled certain nations as “sh-thole countries.” Only a hundred years ago, he could have been talking about the countries our parents and grandparents came from. Shame on him.

We demand that Congress immediately pass the Dream Act to grant permanent status to undocumented immigrants brought here as children. We advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that offers the larger undocumented population a path to citizenship.

Right now, the Dream Act is stalled in Congress, as Republicans attempt to tack onto the bill their harsh anti-immigrant priorities. The DACA program, which granted temporary status to Dreamers and was revoked by the current administration, will soon expire, leaving almost a million Dreamers vulnerable to arrest and deportation. We can’t wait any longer to pass this bill.

What can you do? Check out where you live, and if you’re represented by a Republican in Congress, call and tell them: #PasstheDreamActNow. Otherwise, retweet this post from us to put the heat on the GOP. Let’s stay in touch as this issue further unfolds. Sadly, there will be more necessary actions and protests as we press for the passage of the Dream Act. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. Visit our website for updates. And if you can, please make a donation to support our work.

We are proud that so many Jews and so many organizations support this important work. But we are the only ones who proudly do so as Jews and as Democrats.  Please help us. Act now.

Democratically and Jewishly,

Ron Klein
Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America