Say what?! A dreamer withdraws support for dream act

KB24 · 09-18-2010, 08:41 PM

Quote:

I received the following letter via email last night and it caught me by surprise.

One of the DREAM Act students arrested at John McCain’s office in Tucson is the author of this letter, and he is withdrawing support for the current incarnation of the DREAM Act. It has nothing to do with the actual DREAM Act, but how the Congress is tying it in with a defense bill for political purposes.

Letter to the DREAM Movement:
My Painful Withdrawal of Support for the DREAM Act

by Raúl Al-qaraz Ochoa

17 September 2010

I have supported the DREAM Act, despite my critiques and concerns over the military service component.

In fact, I was one of the arrestees at the sit-in at John McCain’s office in Tucson, AZ; an act of civil disobedience where four brave undocumented students risked deportation and put the DREAM Movement back in the national political stage. I made peace with my participation because I felt I was supporting the self-determination of a movement led by undocumented youth and I felt we could subvert the component that was to feed undocumented youth into the military pipeline if we developed a plan to support youth to the college pathway.

First, let me say that I applaud and admire the tireless work you have all done for the past 10 years. Your commitment and dedication parallels giant student movements of the Civil Rights era. Your persistence in organizing even when the world turned their back on you is inspiring; your creativity in tactics, visuals and media strategy is amazing. Your movement gives hope to hundreds of students I have come across here in Arizona and beyond. It is because of your grassroots efforts—not the politicians’ nor the national Hispanic organizations’—that the Dream is still alive and has come this far. As an organizer with permanent resident status privilege, let me assert that your cause for access to college and path to legalization is just. No one can tell you that what you are fighting for is wrong.

With that said, I want to share how I am deeply appalled and outraged at how Washington politics are manipulating and co-opting the dream. I understand that some folks may say, “we just want the DREAM Act to pass regardless”, but it is critical to examine the political context surrounding DREAM in its current state. It is disturbing to see how Democrats are attaching our community’s dreams for education/legalization to a defense appropriations bill. This is grotesque in a number of ways:

1) Democrats are using the DREAM Act as a political stunt to appeal to Latino voters for the November elections because it is seen as “less” threatening than a broad immigration reform. The Democrats have the political will to recently unite and pass a border militarization bill in a matter of hours ($600 million!), yet they won’t pass a broader immigration reform? And now they are up for the DREAM Act? I’m glad they feel the pressure of the Latino voting bloc, but they obviously do not care about our lives, they only seek to secure their seats in November—which by the way look very jeopardized if they don’t move quickly to energize their “base”. They are also seeking to secure the gay vote with the gradual repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy as part of this same defense bill. All in all, insincere, token political gestures only serve to stall real justice.

2) Democrats are telling me that if I support access to education for all my people, I must also support the U.S. war machine with $670 billion for the Pentagon? Does this mean I have to support the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan? By supporting the DREAM Act, does this mean I automatically give a green light for U.S. forces to continue invading, killing and raping innocent people all over the world? This is really unfair. Here in Arizona I struggle with a climate of fear and terror. Yet even though I am so far away, I hear the cries of Arab mothers who are losing their children in U.S. sponsored bombings and massacres. There’s a knot in my throat because victims of U.S. aggression abroad look just like us… victims of U.S. aggression at home. This ugly and twisted political system is dividing us and coercing us into supporting the funding of more bloodshed and more destruction if we want the DREAM Act to pass. Does this mean that our dreams will rest upon the nightmares of people that suffer globally? Obviously, students that call their Senators are supporting their future NOT bloodshed abroad, but we have to be responsible to the larger political implications of this.

3) Democrats are vilifying and criminalizing our parents. A really insulting argument prominently used for passing the DREAM Act that I keep hearing over and over is that because undocumented students “didn’t choose to come to the U.S. to break the laws of this country” you shouldn’t have to pay for the “sins” or “illegal behavior” of your parents. Are they serious?!? It is not okay to allow legislation to pass that will stand on and disrespect the struggle, sacrifice and dignity of our parents. What about blaming U.S. led capitalist and imperialist policies as the reasons that create our “refugee” populations. Our parents’ struggle is not for sale. We must not fall for or feed into the rhetoric that criminalizes us or our parents. We all want justice, but is it true justice if we have to sell out our own family members along the way?

Again, I support this fight–it’s part of a larger community struggle. It’s personal to all of us. Passage of the DREAM Act would definitely be a step forward in the struggle for Migrant Justice. Yet the politicians in Washington have hijacked this struggle from its original essence and turned dreams into ugly political nightmares. I refuse to be a part of anything that turns us into political pawns of dirty Washington politics. I want my people to be “legalized” but at what cost? We all want it bad. I hear it. I’ve lived it. but I think it’s a matter of how much we’re willing to compromise in order to win victories or crumbs.

This again proves how it is problematic to lobby the state and put all our efforts in legislation to pass. We should know that this political route is always filled with racism, opportunism, betrayals and nightmares. History repeats itself once again.

So if I support the DREAM Act, does this mean I am okay with our people being used as political pawns? Does this mean that my hands will be smeared with the same bloodshed the U.S. spills all over the world? Does this mean I am okay with blaming my mother and my father for migrating “illegally” to the U.S.? Am I willing to surrender to all that in exchange for a benefit? Maybe it’s easier for me to say that ”I can” because I have papers, right? I’d like to think that it’s because my political principles will not allow me to do so, regardless of my citizenship status or personal benefit at stake. Strong movements that achieve greater victories are those that stand in solidarity with all oppressed people of the world and never gain access to rights at the expense of other oppressed groups.

I have come to a deeply painful decision: I can no longer in good political conscience support the DREAM Act because the essence of a beautiful dream has been detained by a colonial nightmare seeking to fund and fuel the U.S. empire machine.

I am so sorry and so enraged that this larger political context has deferred those dreams of justice and equality that we all share.

In tears, rage, love and sorrow,

http://tucsoncitizen.com/three-sonor...the-dream-act/

In my opinion, I'm also grateful that they're going to put it up for a vote regardless of how theyre going to do it or whether theyre doing it just to appeal to the latinos or whatever. They always pass the defense bill every year anyways and every year there are always some senators who bring up their own personal amendments that has nothing to do with defense for personal reasons or whatever.. even if they didn't attach the dream act to the defense bill, defense bill would get passed either way and the pentagon and the middle east war efforts would be funded regardless.. i respect all that dreamer has done, but i disagree on this. i'm tired of living like this everyday in pain and a world of hurt.. just let me continue my education and pursue my dreams as anything but an undocumented and i'll be a political pawn of democrats republicans independents green party whatever. just please pass dream act however possible!

knives · 09:04 PM

Tell him , if he really does wanna withdraw support, then when the dream act is passed, because is was added to the defense bill, not to go and apply for conditional status. I bet he'll be one of the first people in line the rest of us. We have to take any chance we get, not just bitch about how or why we got our chance.

Feenmi · 09-18-2010, 09:00 PM

There are 2 ppl on the comments page claiming he ISN'T a dreamer, but that he is a PR. and if remember correctly, that is correct.

Task_1539 · 09-18-2010, 09:04 PM

I get a 404 error every time. So is it just really just a PR, because if not I with Knives, if he is very upset that it may pass via the Defense authorization bill then he should make the conscious decision to not apply for conditional residency. He is willing to speak out against at least a million or more individuals like him who desperately need this bill to pass.

KB24 · 09-18-2010, 09:04 PM

i mean i'm not trying to hate on the guy and i appreciate his activism and all that but come on!

DreaMseq2010 · 09-18-2010, 09:05 PM

pfft. this guy has legal residency. he is just like everyone else opposing dream. one has different opinion, so its ok to deny hundreds of thousands of people their future.

californiadreamer · 09-18-2010, 09:09 PM

One could question the reason why the DREAM Act is being brought to the floor prior to the midterm elections. But that is not reason enough to go against the bill. If you believe in affording rights to alien minors, you will support the DREAM Act. There is no right or wrong time to serve justice because justice can be served anytime.

skysla · 09-18-2010, 09:14 PM

Why, then, does he live in the United States, which is "invading, killing and raping innocent people all over the world"? Wouldn't it be better if he left this cruel country and went to his own country that is not "invading, killing and raping innocent people all over the world"?

To him, I would say that the Senate is made of 100 politicians. I said POLITICIANS. And, this is right before a midterm election. Of course, these politicans politicize things that they support or oppose even if they do not intend to do so.

If he does not want to be used politically, he should leave this country immediately. Or, he should face the reality. Both supporters and opponents will always make immigration a political issue. I think he will complain even when the Comprehensive Immigration Reform is debated and politicized.

I would be happily used politically if my being politically used could lead to the passage of the DREAM Act or the CIR.

starsNmoons · 09:26 PM

Apparently he is not a DREAMER because he has a green card. I guess that's why he can say that. it is not his fight I do agree that we are being used as political pawns. And we'll be used this election and in the next, and the next until we let the senator know we are not buying their BS no more. about the parents thing, I disagree, because most kids who came here had no idea what we were doing, but our parents knew.

IceCreamPony · 09-18-2010, 09:29 PM

He's just fat and insecure.

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Say what?! A dreamer withdraws support for dream act