Roughly 150 people gathered at Fletcher Plaza in Aurora Saturday morning to stand in solidarity with the “Dreamers” — those covered by the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals program that is at risk of being dismantled during Donald Trump’s presidency.
The local event was one of many held across the country in support of the program, which protects 750,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and allows them to receive drivers’ licenses and work permits.
“Maybe if we all stick together and they see us not as only one but a whole, we can make a difference,” attendee Karen Perez said.
The crowd, a conglomerate of more than 10 local advocacy groups, held signs in both English and Spanish and repeated several chants, including “si se puede.” They urged people to support Adams County Democrat state Rep. Joe Salazar’s plan to propose legislation that would make Colorado a sanctuary state.
Denver, Aurora and Boulder are sanctuary cities, which means they leave immigration enforcement to federal agents and often won’t comply with federal requests to detain people who are believed to have violated the U.S. immigration law.
DACA recipient Vanessa Quevedo told the crowd that she dreams of a day when Mexicans aren’t considered rapists, Muslims aren’t tied to terrorism because of their religion, LGBTQ people don’t fear conversion therapy, women are not assaulted because of their clothing, and people of color are not killed because of their skin tone.
Quevedo, who was brought to the U.S. when she was 6 years old, said she doesn’t remember her time in Mexico and views America as her home. The Chatfield Senior High senior has a full ride to Williams College in Massachusetts, where she plans to study microbiology.
Although fearful of what may happen under a Trump presidency, Quevedo said she is hopeful that Congress will pass a bill to shield DACA recipients, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers that included Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman.
During the campaign, Trump initially took a hard line on immigration, saying he would undo executive actions done by President Obama, which includes DACA. But he has since softened his somewhat stance, saying “we’re going to work something out.”
Quevedo said these types of rallies can make a difference, saying, “I’m no longer living in fear. He doesn’t have that power over me anymore.”
Perez, a 27-year-old mother of three children, addressed the crowd next with her kids and a nephew by her side, her three-year-old daughter hiding behind her legs.
Perez was brought to the U.S. when she was three months old and grew up here, attending school and getting married. Her father, a legal U.S. resident, was kidnapped and killed while on a business trip in Mexico. The family lost both a loved one and an opportunity for legal status.
Perez is eligible for DACA but said she was too scared to sign up, afraid that her personal information would be used against her. She said immigrants aren’t asking to receive things for free, but rather want the opportunity to work so they can provide for their families.
“It’s really terrible to think I can be deported and separated from my kids,” she said.
