Illegal immigrants shut down Nancy Pelosi’s DREAM Act news conference
Illegal immigrants demanded amnesty for “All 11 million, all 11 million.” They demanded “We want no increase on the border patrol budget.” Pelosi tried to cut in: “Hey, stop it.” she said “Stop it” 6 times. But the protesters shut her out by chanting “This is what democracy looks like.” “You’re a liar. Liar!”
After 30 minutes of being unable to regain the podium, Pelosi had little choice but to leave her own conference.
DREAMer lobby groups are very experienced and well organized. In the past, the lobby tactics were to use tears to generate sympathy. Would these new bully tactics backfire?
Several dozen young immigrants shouted down Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, on Monday during an event in San Francisco, following her recent conversations with President Donald Trump over the future of a program that grants many of them legal status.
“We are immigrant youth, undocumented and unafraid,” they shouted as they overtook an event Pelosi was holding with Democratic U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee and Jared Huffman at College Track San Francisco, a program to expand college access.
When she asked, “Do you want to hear an answer or do you just want to shout?” They answered, “All 11 million, all 11 million.” The number they referred to is the estimated number of undocumented immigrants living in the country.
There were several attempts to conduct a civil dialog with the protesters, but that failed.
When one of the demonstrators shouted, “You have the audacity to tell us that you have been fighting deportation,” Pelosi responded, “Yes, yes I am.” At that point, the protesters chanted, “You’re a liar. Liar!”
When the Democratic leader found a moment to speak over the chorus of chants she said, “What I interpret from what you are saying is that you do not want us to proceed with the DREAM Act because it is not comprehensive immigration reform.
We all are fighting for comprehensive immigration reform. We have said to everyone – be very careful, report to us any deportations because they are telling us they are not happening. And wait a minute, wait a minute.” The chanting continued.
After 30 minutes of being unable to regain the podium, Pelosi had little choice but to leave her own conference. DREAMer lobby groups are very experienced and well organized. In the past, the lobby tactics were to use tears to generate sympathy.
DREAMer lobby groups split into three main groups with different tactics: United We Dream, DreamActivist, Dream Action Coalition. Over the year these groups morphed and expanded, with chapters springing up on college campuses and in far-flung communities, where each year more Dreamers were coming of age and looking for help.
Obama’s DACA program provided a vast pool of new recruits for the movement for illegal immigrants. Dream organizations helped immigrants to sign up, bringing them in to their networks at the same time.
In strategy conferences and trainings, they taught street protest tactics and coached young immigrants on how to tell their stories for maximum effect. They offered comfort—including a suicide hotline—for young people whose future in the United States remained insecure.
As an example of how activists help detainees, Some dreamers turned themselves in to provoke I.C.E. to arrest them. This way they can Infiltrate the detention center and once inside the facility, they help other dreamers to avoid deportation or help other non-dreamer detainees to organize.
Because of DACA’s protection, DREAMERs were safe, & could come out once infiltration was accomplished. Those rescued detainees later will be loyal members of the vast network.