Des Moines Register (Op-Ed-Iowa)
By Monica Reyes
May 24, 2015
I,
like many Iowans, hate politics. I can't stand it when the dreams of
people get trampled by petty political party infighting — especially
when those dreams belong to
my family, friends, and myself.
My
family had been dreaming of May 19 our whole lives. For over two
decades, we have been hiding in the shadows and Tuesday was the day that
we were going to finally step
out and become full members of our community.
May
19 was the day that the president's Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program would have gone into effect. But thanks to
a GOP politically motivated
lawsuit, that day is on hold. Right now, the president's new
immigration programs are being held up in the courts, forcing millions
of families to wait in a tumultuous legal limbo as a judge decides their
fate. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel,
but anti-immigrant extremists are blocking the path —for now.
Many
of the Republicans leading the charge against families like mine came
to Iowa May 16 for their cynically named Lincoln Dinner. Just days after
Iowa Republicans spent
a night celebrating the president who freed the slaves, millions of
people, including my mother, are being forced to continue living and
working in fear of being separated from their loved ones. Those who are
the most affected by immigration policies, are
dehumanized and left out of the decision-making.
I
can't help but wonder what the event's namesake would think of the
direction his party has taken. As each presidential hopeful takes the
stage to preach the values of
the Republican Party, I can only hope that Iowans, as well as the
American people, recognize the stark contrast between a party that once
abolished slavery, to one that seems increasingly set on institutionally
oppressing a new class of people — the 11 million
undocumented immigrants living within the United States.
As
2016 approaches, Republican candidates must be reminded of the families
that hang in the balance as they continue their partisan attacks on
President Barack Obama's
executive actions on immigration. As an original recipient of 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), I have experienced
firsthand the benefits of these programs, but my mother, who has
sacrificed everything to provide a better life for me and
my siblings, cannot. It pains me to watch my mother deteriorate slowly
and painfully because of the lack of relief in a country she considers
her home and where she has raised her most blessed gifts, her children.
DREAMers
stand with people, especially our families, over politics — but we're
not afraid to engage politically. According to the Center for American
Progress, 14,000
Iowans stand to benefit from the president's policies.
The
questions that immigrants and allies here in Iowa will be asking
presidential hopefuls is this: What happened to the party of Lincoln?
The Republican Party can no
longer ignore the families affected by their increased anti-immigrant
attacks. One only has to listen to the congressman representing my
district, the notorious Rep. Steve King, R-Ia., to realize just how far
the GOP has strayed from Lincoln's ideals.
Once
you dehumanize a group of people, through political slander and
nonfactual information, you run the risk of exposing that group of
people to below-humane standards.
I see our undocumented community living through so many more struggles
than a documented member would experience. We are undocumented, we know
the struggle of fighting for a better future, we have established our
life in small town America, we pledge allegiance
to the American flag, and we are American in every way, except on
paper.
While
my mother and I are still restricted from exercising our right to vote
this election cycle, I can assure you that when it comes time for my
loved ones with citizenship
to visit the polls, they won't forget who stood up for our family and
our community, and who stood in the way of our American dreams.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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