JULY 5, 2014
CONTACT: Moses Chege
-Director of Policy & Advocacy- 253.632.6404
UNDOCUMENTED YOUTH CELEBRATE THEIR PATRIOTISM IN JULY 4TH PARADE
OAK HARBOR, WA – Yesterday afternoon, the Washington Dream Act Coalition
(WDAC), a coalition of undocumented youth in the state, was invited to and
marched in the Oak Harbor July 4th parade.
Dreamers marched in the Independence Day Parade, sporting t-shirts
embezzled “Undocumented. Unafraid. Patriotic.” Sending a clear message that
Dreamers and other Undocumented Americans are Americans in every way but on
paper and deserve those same unalienable rights of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness that this great country was founded upon.
Ray Corona, Executive Director of the coalition has this to say, “Most people did not know how
to react after reading our shirts and banners. It can be very easy for people
to have a negative reaction towards undocumented immigrants just based off what
they hear in the news; but seeing actual undocumented people in front of them
paints a different idea as to who this community is."
In the last month, WDAC has aggressively advocated and urged for the
President to take executive action on immigration to stop the deportation of
Dreamers’ parents and other deserving undocumented Americans. WDAC has been so
successful in this effort that nearly every member of the Washington Democratic
congressional delegation, including its most senior member, Sen. Murray, have
joined Dreamers in calling on President Obama to take executive action, an
announcement the President made this Tuesday.
Washington Dream Act Coalition is determined to hold the President
accountable to his commitment to act unilaterally by demanding meaningful
action that would expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program
that Dreamers currently enjoy to their parents and family members.
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The Washington Dream Act Coalition
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