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33 Members Of Congress Sign Letter Supporting ‘DREAM 9’
The nine immigration activists, called the DREAM 9, who were taken into custody after crossing the Nogales Port of Entry on July 22, remain in custody. But they are getting support for their release from 33 members of Congress.
On Monday, Rep. Mike Honda (R-Calif.) released a letter signed by 33 members of the House of Representatives urging the President to use his discretion to allow the DREAM 9 to come home.
“These youth are the victims of our broken immigration policy, and they deserve to come home to the United States, where they can continue to fulfill their dreams of higher education,” the letter reads. “We respectfully request that you exercise your discretion to allow these ‘DREAMers’ to come home.”
The DREAM 9 are immigration reform activists who qualify for deferred action under the Obama administration's guidelines for dealing with deportations of unauthorized immigrants.
They crossed the border into Mexico knowing they would not be allowed back into the country under normal circumstances. The crossing was a protest and means to highlight the separation of families under the current accelerated deportation policies of the Obama administration where 1.7 million immigrants have been deported since Obama took office.
The DREAM 9 are using social media to bring attention to their cause and had been attracting a following.
The DREAMers are currently detained in the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, where they have been on a hunger strike since Thursday after their phone use was restricted.