18 young undocumented activists from Connecticut staged a sit-in at Senator Chris Murphy’s Washington DC office Tuesday. They wanted Murphy to guarantee he would vote against a budget bill this week is The Dream Act wasn't part of it.
Connecticut Students for a Dream Campaign Manager Camila Bortolleto of Danbury says 122 young people are losing their DACA protections everyday and over 11,000 have become vulnerable to deportation since the program was ended.
Murphy, while telling the youths he was a friend of the cause, didn't say he would vote against the budget. Murphy told them he wants to be part of the conversation.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program provided protections to youth brought to this country illegally when they were minors by their parents. DACA recipients whose two-year status expires in March would be subject to deportation. To qualify for protections under the DREAM Act, applicants must have been admitted to a college, university or other institution of higher learning, earned a high school diploma or GED certificate, or be enrolled in a secondary education program and seeking a diploma or GED certificate. Applicants also must be free of convictions for certain criminal offenses.
