A Collection of Actions Organized to Pass the DREAM Act

California – Across California, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the CHIRLA Action Fund have organized actions to fight for a clean DREAM Act. After months of organizing lobby visits, press conferences and sit-ins, immigrant youth and their allies have been relentless in fighting for an end of year solution to the end of the DACA program.

Below is a list of actions taken to date to pass a clean DREAM Act this year:

DECEMBER 2017

  • #Fast4Dream – On December 6th, in an effort to press Congress to pass the DREAM Act before year’s end, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the California Dream Network (CDN) announced thirteen undocumented immigrant youth will begin a three-day fast. The fasters  set up camp in front of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles to express the urgency of passing the DREAM Act.  California’s Republican Congressional delegation, led by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, has refused to take action to protect nearly a million DACA recipients who risk deportation. Twelve of the thirteen Core Fasters are DACA recipients representing communities throughout California.  The nine women and four men represent the dreams and aspirations of immigrants throughout history. These young people are students, breadwinners, members of faith communities, tutors, homecare workers, mathematicians, soccer players, Marvel comics fans, environmentalists, and a future firefighter, geriatrics specialist, and neurosurgeon.
  • Caravan for the Dream –  On December 6th, as part of the National Day of Action for the DREAM Act, a caravan made its way across California and made stops at Representatives Paul Cook, Steve Knight, Devin Nunes, David Valadao and Ed Royce’s district offices. Rallies were held at these stops with a the caravan ending at Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield Office where tens of thousands of postcards were delivered and a vigil for the DREAM Act was held.
  • Washington D.C. Delegation – A delegation of DACA Youth and CHIRLA members went to Washington D.C. to all on members of congress to pass a clean DREAM Act from December 5 to December 7.
  • LGBT Press Conference – On Monday, December 4, 2018, CHIRLA and the California Dream Network in coordination with the LA LGBT Center, OC LGBT Center, Latino Equality Alliance, Equality California, and the UCLA Labor Center organized a press conference highlighting LGBTQ DACA recipients to urge Congress for a vote on a clean DREAM Act.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2017

  • Actions/Protests – CHIRLA and the California Dream Network participated in 1 protest at Rep. Mimi Walters’ District Office on November 9th, 2017 with students from U.C. Irvine. Along with SEIU-USWW, the Korean Resource Center and other allies, the takeover was covered by numerous news outlets. The action resulted in one arrest.
  • Lobby Visits51 lobby visits in District and Washington D.C. with both California and non Californian Representatives
  • Patch Through Calls for a clean DREAM Act (California)– From November 13 – November 27, 2017, CHIRLA patched through 507 voters to the offices of California GOP House Members urging them to support a Clean Dream Act bill.
    • Rep. David Valadao (CA-21) – 78 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) – 74 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48) – 57 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Mimi Walters (CA-45) – 60 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Ed Royce (CA-39) – 51 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Jeff Denham (CA-10) – 102 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Devin Nunes (CA-22) – 85 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
  • Patch Through Calls for a clean DREAM Act (Out of State) – From November 13 – November 27, 2017, CHIRLA patched through 1,189 voters to the office of GOP Senators and House Members urging them to support a Clean Dream Act bill.
    • Senator Marco Rubio (FL) – 95 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Senator Cory Gardner (CO) – 127 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Senator Dean Heller (NV) – 101 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Senator Orrin Hatch (UT) – 191 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-6) – 59 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Martha McSally (AZ-2) – 83 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Dianne Daguette (CO-1) – 69 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. John Culberson (TX-7) – 77 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Will Hurd (TX-23) – 51 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Sam Johnson (TX-3) – 4 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Donald Bacon (NE-2) – 68 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (FL-25) – 64 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) – 67 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-8) – 41 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) – 5 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Steven Pearce (NM-2) – 87 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
  • Rallies – CHIRLA organize 5 rallies on November 9th to coincide with the National Day of Action in Washington D.C. These events took place in the districts of Representatives David Valadeo, Paul Cook, Steve Knight, Mimi Walters, and Ed Royce,
  • Retreat – CHIRLA organized 1 retreat for the California Dream Network in which 144 DACA recipients and their allies strategized to organize themselves for a final push for the DREAM Act in December.
  • Resolutions – On November 8th, 2017, CHIRLA helped to pass a resolution in the City of Palmdale to support a clean DREAM Act Bill. This resolution was delivered to Rep. Steve Knight’s Palmdale Office the following day. On November 13th, CHIRLA helped to pass a resolution in the City of Sanger, located in Congressional District 25th.
  • Roundtables – CHIRLA held 2 roundtables with supportive Congressional representatives and Chambers of Commerce. One was held on October 18th with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard, and Rep. Jimmy Gomez. A second Roundtable was held between CHIRLA California Dream Network youth and Rep. Linda Sanchez at Cal State Fullerton on October 19, 2017.
  • Summit – CHIRLA organized 1 summit in which x number of undocumented community members and representatives from the California Dream Network committed to fight a clean Dream Act this year.
  • Washington D.C. Visit4 delegations to Washington D.C. with DACA youth to engage their local Congressional Representatives. Also, CHIRLA staff has maintained constant presence in Washington D.C.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017

  • Actions/Protests – CHIRLA and the California Dream Network held 1 protest sit in at Rep. Ed Royce’s Brea Office on October 25, 2017 with students from Mt. San Antonio College, Cal State Fullerton, Rio Hondo Community College and the United Food and Commercial Workers.
  • Business Engagement – CHIRLA has organized 3 public events and 2 business roundtables with the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Rep. Nanette Barragan and Rep. Jimmy Gomez, as well as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed), and the Carson Chamber of Commerce.
  • Forums4 forums focused on passing the DREAM Act with Rio Hondo College, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the California Dream Network. As well as the “Buena Park Goes to College” event where Rep. Ed Royce was scheduled to speak–he cancelled at the last minute due to the presence of California Dream Network students.
  • Lobby Visits33 lobby visits in District and Washington D.C. to the offices of Rep. Ed Royce, Rep. Steve Knight, Rep. Devin Nunes, Rep. Jeff Denham, Rep. Valadao, and Rep. Paul Cook.
  • Postcards (Field) – Through our community education, legal services, organizing and online mobilizing, we are asking all Californians including small businesses and faith communities to sign a pledge card urging their Member of Congress and Leader Rep. McCarthy to support a clean Dream Act bill.  2,865 postcards were delivered to Rep. Knight’s Santa Clarita and Palmdale Offices, 1,136 to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, 819 to Rep. Valadao, 682 to Rep. Ed Royce’s office in Brea, 500 to Rep. Paul Cook’s District Office in Hesperia, 301 to Rep. Nunes Office, 200 to Rep. Jeff Denham, 100 were delivered to Rep. Mimi Walters’ District office, and 36 to Rep. Issa during the October 23-25th  actions.  6,459 total postcards from the field have been collected and delivered to date.
  • Postcards (Phone) 26,767 postcards were collected from across the state through our phone banking efforts to support a clean DREAM Act. On October 23, 2017, CHIRLA attempted to deliver these postcards and subsequently taped them onto the windows of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s District Office in Bakersfield on after his staff closed the doors on CHIRLA.
  • Patch Through Calls to Save DACA – By reaching out to high-propensity Latino voters and our 2016 CHIRLA voters, we were able to patch through, 1,970 calls by voters to the White House and Leadership urging them to Defend DACA.
  • Patch Through Calls for a clean DREAM Act – Since the day DACA was rescinded, we have patched through 3,094 voters to the office of California GOP Members of Congress urging them to support a Clean Dream Act bill.
    • Rep. Steve Knight (CA-25) – 659 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Ed Royce (CA-39) – 90 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Mimi Walters (CA-45) – 419 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Rep. Darrell Issa CA-49) – 782 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
    • Rep. Paul Cook (CA8) – 198 Yes to DREAM Act Calls
  • Rallies1 rally with Senator Kamala Harris at UC Irvine with over 200 participants in collaboration with the Korean Resource Center.
  • Religious Engagement – In collaboration with Matthew 25, we have engaged Evangelical churches through 6 DREAM Act Prayer Week events at St. Luke’s Presbyterian and Fuller Seminary. In addition, there have been 2 faith delegations of clergy who have visited Rep. Ed Royce’s Brea Office through efforts organized in collaboration with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and Matthew 25.
  • Roundtables – CHIRLA held 2 roundtables with supportive Congressional representatives and Chambers of Commerce. One was held on October 18th with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard, and Rep. Jimmy Gomez. A second Roundtable was held between CHIRLA California Dream Network youth and Rep. Linda Sanchez at Cal State Fullerton on October 19, 2017.
  • Voter Engagement – Over the last month, our 20 full time phone bankers have identified 29,204 low-propensity, Latino voters across the state that support a clean Dream Act. A total of, 34,089 voters and community members have taken action and signed a postcard to their representative.
  • Washington D.C. Visit1 visit to Washington D.C. with 10 DACA youth to engage their local congressional representative and call upon them to cosponsor and vote in favor of the DREAM Act. CHIRLA staff has maintained constant presence in Washington D.C. to engage Democrat and Republican Members of Congress.