Post-Election Statement from DRM

 DELAY STRATEGY FAILED! 

Same Mandate for President To Act Bold on Immigration

NEW YORK, NY - In reaction to Democrats losing the Senate, Erika Andiola and Cesar Vargas, undocumented leaders and co-Directors of the Dream Action Coalition, issued the following statement:

“Bad politics have consequences. Prioritizing senate seats over keeping families together was bad politics. Tonight, when the Democrats were hoping to keep the Senate despite the President’s delay on immigration, we saw Latino voters rebuke Democrats at the polls, either opting to stay home or voting for another party.

Although Democrats have sympathetic rhetoric on immigration, voters demanded action, which the President and his party failed to deliver on.

After Democrats give the political weight to immigration that it deserves through an executive order, perhaps they will see the narrative that Democrats are better on immigration begin to cement; certainly Republicans have done enough to alienate Latinos, but Democrats have done little to win and motivate them.

The era of Latinos being won over by a Latino last name or with talking points unbacked by action is over. We will now escalate within the context of 2016 politics, including holding accountable and defeating unfriendly Democrats, as DREAMers did with Senator Kay Hagan from North Carolina. Hagan was one of only five Democratic senators who joined a Republican-led filibuster against the DREAM Act and put pressure on Obama against taking action on immigration. Our Latino community turned their back on her as she did on us.

As those directly impacted by a broken immigration system, we will continue to hold both parties accountable. We ask the President to stop his deportation machine and expand DACA to at least those who would qualify for the Senate Immigration Bill. No more broken promises.