Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Hello, everyone. My name is leah and of the director of relation for the center for American Progress. We are very pleased you have joined us all this morning and welcome you to our daca interface and civil rights prayer breakfast. I hope you have a chance to get breakfast. We know this if it is at capacity to ask if you want to enjoy breakfast please quartzite or grab a chair beside the wall. First to open up our program i want to welcome the fearless and strong and brave champion who has been chairing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, represents texas and has been a steadfast champion of immigrant whether dreams, asylumseekers trick you can find during his recess breaks in the board and today he will be joining Daca Recipients in the court as will do whatever you want to of applause for congressman castro. [applause] thank you. Good morning, everybody. I want to thank you all for here contract being here on a momentous occasion in this standard support of Daca Recipients across our nation. I am the proud chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at a represent the great city of san antonio, texas, in the United States congress. I want to first thanked and recognize all the Daca Recipients that are here, and dreamers. [applause] also to the plains and attorneys who are here today with an working so hard and arguing their hearts out, thank you for all of your work. [applause] and, of course, today we take our fight to the Supreme Court, we believe and we hope the Supreme Court will recognize that Daca Recipients and dreamers are just as american as anyone else. I would also like to acknowledge gabby, ambassador, former uscis director leon rodriguez, and the dream. Us founder don graham also here with us this morning. [applause] you know this but im going to mention it anyway because there are some folks who dont always recognize it. Dreamers are valuable contributing members of our communities, and valuable contributors to the United States economy. They are our neighbors, friends and colleagues. They strengthen our communities and our country, and its inexcusable that President Trump is forcing dreamers into legal limbo by trying to cancel the daca program. Knowing that the Supreme Court will shortly hear this case is only cemented in my mind how cruel the administration acted in pushing deportation over keeping dreamers here in the United States. For the last two years the Trump Administration has attacked agreement by trying to roll back their immigration protections and putting them at risk of deportation. By rescinding daca Trump Administration is manufactured a crisis that assert dreamers and american families. Today, our country is taking another important step to reject the Trump Administrations cruel tactics. While we must wait until next year to hear the final decision from the Supreme Court, today is an important beginning. Today the brave Daca Recipients, their attorneys, elected officials and advocates across the country standup in their defense. Our nations dreamers include, including over 300,000 in my home state of texas, and 8000 in own congressional district, deserve real protections under the law. Todays arguments serve to remind us all to recommit to welcoming dreamers every day and in every way that we possibly can. In congress we will fight by continuing to push the senate to vote on the house passed dream and promised act. We are a country as you all know with a strong immigrant heritage, and the diversity of our communities strengthens our national fabric. This issue is a personal one to me as i had a grandparent, my grandmother, who came to the United States as a young girl. My grandmother came to the United States because both her parents had died around the time of the mexican revolution, and she and her younger sister, my grandmother with six or seven, the closest relatives that could take them in were not in mexico but when san antonio, texas. I often think when i think about the legal limbo that the dreamers are in today, i think about my grandmothers story and how when she came to the United States, the document is about hurt in, there was a line of that document that read something to the effect of purpose of visit. Scribbled into the outline where the words, to live. She was coming here to live. Our dreamers have been hit with us for many years. They have been part of the fabric of American Society for a long time. Today i hope the Supreme Court recognized that. To the dreamers and the Daca Recipients, may god bless you today and everyday. To the advocates and attorneys and everybody else, the elected officials, by colleagues who are here who have been pushing for so long on their behalf, thank you and may god bless you. [applause] and now i know hes just going to sit down, the quickest seat to podium youll ever find, standard or i want to introduce somebody who has been a grand champion of dreamers, of Daca Recipients for a few decades now, and that is senator dick durbin of illinois. [applause] well, its a treat to beer today. I started the morning walking in front of the Supreme Court with all the people and others sitting, standing in the rain, cold, hoping that theyre going to get inside to hit the Supreme Court argument at 10 00. I will be the end have listen. This has been a long journey. Joe and my attorney and the Senate Judiciary committee has absolutely been the leader on this. This administration has been so harsh, hard edged and even cruel when it comes to immigration, and no more so than when it comes to the treatment of children. 2880 infants, toddlers and children taken away on their parents at the border. The unification, reunification of the stamps required a federal court to step in. And then the president s decision to eliminate daca. When i think of what it meant, i reflect on the fact that president obama told me that in his transition beating with donald trump in the white house the december before the trump inauguration, he spent an extra hour talking to them about daca and dreamers, hoping to convince him that it would be the worst thing he could do for the justice of the individual, even for the politics of the situation. But clearly he didnt succeed. We now learn the gathering of Jeff Sessions and steve miller and john kelly and kirstjen nielsen, who also i dont know, they made the decision to eliminate. And were it not for the court intervention, stepping in and giving those who were protected a chance to renew their status. With a been a tragedy that wouldve been multiplied many times over. I dont need to tell you with the daca people are. Many of them are seated in the audience, but i can tell you this for sure. I have never been associated with a better group of people in my life. They are solid. They are sincere. They are brave. They are determined. Their entire life story is a story of battling against the odds come from the time they were told as children that they were not the same as our neighbors and friends in school, to this day they have never ever given up. I have cried with them and laughed with him, have gone through many experiences together. Today is another step on that journey. I got my fingers crossed and im saying those prayers this morning, dont be that fits Supreme Court justice that will make a difference. I sincerely believe we have a chance to win in the Supreme Court. But whatever happens, if the Court Decision comes this spring, and assume thats when it will be handed down, this battle will not be finished until everyone of those dreamers has the chance to become part of americas future to earn their citizenship and be part of the only culture theyve ever known. That is been my goal for 19 years since i introduced the dream act. It is my goal today as well. I have said to them through many defeats and a few along the way, dont give up on us because we are never going to give up on you. Thank you for being here this morning. [applause] good morning, greetings of peace to you all. My name is maggie and of the director of the Safe Initiative at the center for American Progress here this is a way dday as thousands of our neighbors, friends and family members fight for the lawful right to stay with their families and communities. And i am grateful we are joined by so many friends and allies. We also have representative chuy garcia here as well and faith leaders and civil rights leaders. As we call on the Supreme Court to uphold the rights of Daca Recipients, those of us poor people of faith also lift up our prayers. I would like to ask if the faith leaders here here today conjoig out in front of the room, and i invite any members of congress who wish to join us at the front in prayer to do so as well. Here to leaders in prayer is reverend nunes and associate pastor at Memorial United Methodist Church in houston, texas. Reverend nunes is also a daca recipient. She was born in mexico and came to the u. S. At the age of nine. And she could speak today to what it means for herself and the community she serves. Welcome, reverend nunes. You can stand in the front right here. Good morning, everybody. Right in front. Wow, no pressure. As we begin this gathering and as we talk about the occupation of land, i would like to acknowledge the traditional ancestral territory of indigenous which we are learning, working and organizing today. May we continue to recognize those homes were standing on and i would bring honor as a work towards justice. Also i like to call upon my ancestors who continue to guide me and strengthen the as we navigate through whitespace fixed never in my life did i think i would be a pastor. However, today i can stand before you and confirm that this is the exact place god wants me. It is in my fairy experience as a marginalized constantly dehumanized undocumented woman that god continues to remind me of my worth as gods creation and of the power i hold as such. I am called to speak truth to power. I am called to attend to those by the unfair immigration policy that constantly hurt children, babies, grandparents and caring families apart. I am a call to speak up even when my heart is racing and my palms are sweaty, he comes peoples lives depend on it. My daughters life depends on it. As a daca pastor i often get asked when will god sipping and bring relief to the suffering under an unfair and broken immigration system . My response is always, when you get up and march forward. It is you who brings god into the places where change happens. It is in the middle of our organizing that god moves and picks up the sign to march forward with us. God is there present their god is here president lets not forget we are not doing this work alone, and when we must deal tired, weary and we, we come forward. We come to rest in god, recharge, continue pushing forward. Now would you join in prayer with me . Transcending spirit, we come today tired, burdened but hopeful. We come together today as a resilient and strengthened community. We are here to claim are worth as children of god, a creation of your very image, and as sources of your own energy. We come together today to stand for the justice you are yearning for. We come together to keep accountable those outspoken empty promises, but once elected turn away and forget. We thank you, oh great one, for we know he walked beside us as we march. You hurt deeply when we hurt and you continue to manifest when we feel alone. May we continue to fight the good fight. May we continue to draw strength from your ever flowing ice giving energy as we continue to answer the call to justice and peace. Give us wisdom as we move forward, bring clarity to our mind, the present. So be it. Amen. Thank you, reverend nunez. Now well have a few words if you want to remain standing from rabbi, the washington director, offer a short reflection of what this means. Good morning, everyone. This momentous morning is a day of, and a moment, of uncertainty, of hope, but also anxiety, of anticipation. So lets take a couple of moments to tap into our gratitude. Our gratitude for our health, for the food that we eat this morning, for those who made it possible for that food to come onto our plates and into our bellies. In particular, lets offer gratitude for the documented folks, their families who have stepped through fear, risk, uncertainty, and put themselves on the line in leading this fight. Today, lets offer gratitude for the plaintiffs, for the families, for the attorneys, for those who will be inside the court today, for those who will be outside the court today. For the organizers. We are grateful for your leadership because you understand that youre not just leading the fight about daca. You are leading a fight for how this country views immigrants, and leading a fight for how this country views itself. You are leading a movement for what kind of society and what kind of world we will live in, and that our grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will live in. We know that there are some that want to build a society where theres only one way to live, only one way to love, only one way to pray, and only one way to think. We know that there are some who are working to build a society where only white lives matter. Today, its an important moment in a movement that has a different vision. That vision says that home is here, that we can build a true multiracial democracy where all our cherished and can thrive. A movement that says we hold these truths to be selfevident, that all are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and to secure these rights, governments are instituted driving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Today is about seeking justice, and while we pray for victory, we know that to truly prevail we must be in this fight for the long haul, and have each others backs. And we do. [applause] thank you, rabbi. What a blessing it is to be with you all here today. These faith leaders with me today represent several different faith traditions, and denominations. Each of them has worked to elevate the voices of their faith communities in support of Daca Recipients, and they are here again today in steadfast solidarity. All of us join our community in praying that our Supreme Court justices will listen to the arguments shared today and choose the only possible justin and moral outcome to keep our communities together. Thank you. [applaus [applause] good morning, everyone. My name is good morning and so grateful for the prayer that we just all shared together. My name is Christina Jimenez and im the executive director and one of the cofounders of united we dream and im grateful for all the members of congress to bring us together in this space this morning. Moments like today, we must take note that together we are making history. We are making history today. We can say that our community has been put through unspeakable hardship, deportation, and ice and agents going after our communities. The future of daca, the future of tps, all uncertain and many, many, many more attacks that our communities are facing all across the country, but i am reminded today of the words of a woman, valerie core, who offered up perhaps the pains that we face are not the pains of death, but the pain of childbirth, that there is something new being born today. Do you believe that . Do you believe that . Something new is being born today so as we pray together, let our prayers not just be that the justices do the right thing, but let us also send our prayers and our energies to all of the immigrants that despite the attacks, despite ice and cdp going after us every day, despite the uncertainty of daca, despite the cold and despite the rain, are showing up today. All of the immigrants and allies who right now are either waiting to be inside of the Supreme Court or will be rallying outside of the Supreme Court, let us spray for them because despite the challenges and the fear, they are showing up. We are showing up. And let us also turn our prayers within so that similarly, just like the courageous immigrants taking action today that we meet the moment as well. Lets pray that we find that moral clarity inside of us and to ask ourselves, what are we, each of us, doing to be part of giving birth to something new . What are we doing to give birth to something new . In congress, in the house of our local elected legislators, in our communities, in the courts, to make sure that any role that we hold in our communities, that in any institution that were part of in our society, that we are ensuring that immigrants and that all people can live without fear, can thrive, can be free. So lets pray that we find a moral clarity today and lets pray that the justices find that moral clarity as we go through this process. Thank you. [applaus [applause] good morning, everyone. My na i am is leah prada, im the director of Government Affairs for centers for American Progress. We will now introduce someone who has been a longtime champion of the immigrants rights community. She has led legislation to protect dreamers and t. P. C. Recipients. She is one of the coauthors of hr6 the American Dream and promise act. And shes also the chairwoman of the Small Business community. It is my honor to bring up congresswoman nydia valasquez. [applause] thank you so much. And good morning. Thank you for having me. Thank you all for being here on this historic occasion. In fact, lets pray that they find the moral clarity to define who we are and to protect who we are. Today we are at a crucial crossroad in our nations histo history. Today they will define what is america. America is an idea and what makes America America are immigrants, lets not forget that. Today we speak with one collective voice in saying dreamers are here to stay. For so many young people with daca status, the United States is the only home they have ever known. They are americans in every single way except on paper. Some of them came here when they were so young they do not remember the journey. Many of them speak only english. Their parents brought them here for so many different reasons, but they all came in pursuit of that uniquely american promise, the idea if you work hard and play by the rules, you can succeed as an american. Now, with the prescient hateful efforts to roll back daca, we face a moment of truth. As a nation, we need to decide how we will define ourselves. Are we a nation that embraces these remarkable young people, a nation that is founded on inclusiveness and diversity . Or are we going to pander to the prescient Political Base with policies steeping hate and fear . Well, i, for one, not going to let the president rock our nation of its immigrants heritage. We are not going to let him sacrifice these young dreamers on the altar of political cynicism and extremism. So the courts are going to here the arguments today. We are all praying at this event and throughout the day for the court to see the wisdom of embracing these young people. Were praying for kindness and we are praying for compassion. But we are also praying for strength to carry on that fight. Many of you know i am one of the authors of the American Dream and promise act, legislation that will perspective these young people from removal and provide them a path, regardless of what happens in the court we must keep pressing these bills. This measure will also provide safe haven for our brothers and sisters in the tps program. Think of it, these are immigrants fleeing civil wars, natural disasters and violence and other hardships. They are mothers with young children, mothers with young children. Donald trump would deport them. The bible will tell us you should also love the stranger because you were strangers in the land of egypt. Let remind us, curse anyone who withholds justice from the fatherless, the widow. Today my friends we gather in the temple of democracy, meanwhile, our nation stands at a fork in the road. Will we embrace our heritage as a nation of immigrants . Will we live up to the values of christ. Will we show charity and love or will we succumb to hatred and fear . I believe in my heart that our nation will choose the path that protects our immigrant brothers and sisters and honors their contributions. That belief is reaffirmed when i look out on all of you and see you are here today. So lets go forward united, arms locked together, standing tall with love in our hearts and ready to fight for one another. Thank you and god bless. [applaus [applause] thank you, senator velazquez for those powerful remarks. We will now move over to the civil rights portion of our prayer breakfast. I first would like to recognize janet, the president and ceo of lidos u. S. Thank you, good morning, everyone and i so appreciate the inspiration that weve received from our faith leaders today and also from so many of our champions in congress. Today is a momentous day for the latino community, not only is the future of daca at stake, but so is the future of millions of children and young people in this country. So, yes, today is about the law, but today is also about people. Young people like our unidosus fellow giovanni. He came here at age 15 and finished high school in justice three years, with no money for college, he worked in a restaurant, where he was able to take extra hours and work his way toward an Associates Degree and later, a bachelors degree from the university of texas. Today he is a Young Community leader advocating for better Public Education in texas for students just like him. Weve heard today that there are nearly 800,000 such dreamers in this country, but do we really fundamentally understand, also, that they are parents of 255,000 children who are overwhelmingly u. S. Citizens born in this country. And it highlights one aspect of a report that we at unidos us earlier this year which found there are at least 6 million u. S. Citizen children at risk of losing a parent to deportation. We are keeping hardworking dreamers, americans in all, but name, in limbo. We are putting their children through trauma and fear of losing a mom and or a dad. And our nation is potentially sacrificing the contributions of the full potential of people like giovanni, for what . There is no objective reason or justification for ending the daca program. Every lower court has confirmed that, for whatever measure you take or standard you use, daca has been amazingly successful. More than 90 of dreamers work and nearly half of in school. Its also extremely popular with strong bipartisan support and support from every sector of society, including business, the military, and first responders. It is our hope today that the Supreme Court will see what we see, that ending daca was the cruel, senseless and capricious act of a cruel, senseless and capricious president who continues to refuse to put our countrys interests above his own. Today lets send a message to the Supreme Court collectively, lets do our part and lets reaffirm that today we are all dreamers and we deserve justice. Thank you. [applaus [applause] thank you all for joining us. Weve heard this morning about the civil rights imperative, the broadbased support there is for dreamers and as we look at the court today we know that this will be on full display as janet said that, you know, the Broad Community that supports dreamers was on full display. Even as something as simple as the amicus brief in support of dreamers. And we have been reminded of the moral clarity of the day and i hope we will carry that with us throughout the day. As we move on to our next panel, were going to take a quick break and in the meantime, i would like to ask all of our Civil Rights Panel distinguished speakers to join us here and take a seat. Thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] thank you all. We will now continue our program. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Im the president for center for American Progress and im grateful for all of you attending this event and joining us this morning. I want to acknowledge the incredible Public Officials and states leaders, Progressive Advocates and recipients of daca who have made it here this morning and who can be a part of this event. Weve all come together to speak with a common voice because we understand that for 825,000 people who have received daca protections during the the course of the program, the United States is their home. We know that Daca Recipients pay nearly 9 billion in taxes each year and employ more than 85,000 people across the country. But more importantly, we understand that this is much more than an issue of economics. Its a moral issue which strikes at the very heart of our values as a nation. Values such as compassion, understanding, and basic sense of decency and fairness. Daca recipients are parents to more than 250,000 children born here. We all witnessed the agonizing images and sounds of children crying after being ripped from their parents from the inhumane policy of separation and we cannot allow the another 250,000 children to experience that same kind of anguish if daca is undone. That is what the stakes are. That is why well continue to fight with each ounce for Daca Recipients and stand shoulder to shoulder with other progressive groups including the inspiring leaders sitting here at this sitting here with me. Now id like to introduce our panel or our speakers. First, id like to introduce the past president and ceo of the leadership concerns on civil rights. And who will contextualize on broader civil rights. And lisa from the Naacp Legal Defense Fund and what lies at the heart of the administrations attempt to terminate daca. And thank you for your leadership and the leadership in pulling this together after such a crucial moment in our country. Im the president and ceo of the Leadership Conference of civil and human rights, a coalition over 220 of the nations civil and human rights organizations, working tornado an america as good as its ideals. Im grateful to be here among so many members for justice and working to save the country in these many months. As the daughter of indian immigrants and long time civil rights lawyer, ive seen the profound power of laws to advance americas promise of equal protection and equal justice for all. I had seen, also, though, how our nations highest officers weaponize the law to spread fear and silence communities and try to tear familys part. Such abuses of power is exactly why were here this morning. Sod the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments on the validity on the president s decision to end daca, a program that allows hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to call this country home without fear for their safety or their futures. Not so long ago, i was part of a Justice Department that found this program to be not only legal, but part of the very core fabric of what makes this country so profoundly open to equal opportunity at its best, and part of the promise of the American Dream, but to this president , people have become political pawns and their safety is a bargaining chip. Part of the administrations greater strategy to roll back civil rights and harm communities of color. We know that every person in america deserves better. Dreamers deserve better. Year after year, dreamers have shown us the power of young people leading a movement for justice. And they have shown us what it means to sacrifice and fight for this country. The only moment that many have ever known. Our nations leaders should look to their example and marshal the same courage, hope and integrity that dreamers and Daca Recipients show every day. As the court prepares to hear the daca case, the leadership calls for the moral leadership in all branches of government. Those in positions of power must strongly and publicly and consistently condemn racism and our communities must double down on our power and assure our vision of america as it should be, just inclusive and fair. That is the america we all deserve and thats the america that we are going to defend until we have nothing left in us. This is a defining moment for our country. It really is about who we are as a country and about saving the soul of our country and our communities. This is an issue of fundamental decency. No matter how the court rules, the relationship conference and our coalition are going to continue to do what this movement has done in the face of hate and fear. Were going to organize, were going to mobilize, litigate and rally, in the courts and the streets until we win. Theres no community that will fight these fights alone. The Leadership Conference remains united with all immigrants and our allies and the fight to protect civil and human rights for all. Its a fight were going to win and its why were here today. Thank you. [applaus [applause] thank you. Thank you for the American Center for progress for this and to vanita. Its important not only for the Daca Recipients for for our countries. Im lisa Kyler Barrett at naacp Legal Defense and Educational Fund here on behalf of our president and director counsel who was unable to be here today. The Legal Defense fund is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, to help black people and people of color in the free exercise of their constitutional rights. Founded in 1940 under thurgood marshall, eliminating Racial Discrimination in education, krifl justice. Civic participation and economic justice. For nearly 80 years lbf has caught for equal protection for all persons, consistent with the amicus opposition to all forms of discrimination, lds has a strong interest in assuring the government for equal protection principles in its policies related to immigrants. The administrations decision to rescind the daca program is being challenged on grounds it violated the administrative procedures act, given the unexplained aboutface in way we see as being arbitrary and capricious, but we also see an alternative grounds for keeping daca and that is that the rescission was motivated at least in part by discrimination against immigrants of color and in particular, Latino Latinx persons and the over and there was an amicus brief focused on the immigration issue and we feel that Racial Discrimination was a motivation for the decision. First, the rescission of daca would disproportionately impact latinos and people of Mexican American heritage. Latinos account for 93 of Daca Recipients. Equally concern are the president as tweets demonstrating his anamous. Weve heard them. Calling them criminals, drug dealers and rapists. The president derided people who protested at one of his rally as thugs who were flying the mexican flag. The president stated a federal judge of mexican descent could not fairly provide preside over a hearing because of the fact he was a mexican, despite the fact he was an american. And referred to as bad hombres and widely condemned family separation with thousands of children of tender ages, many babies and toddlers forcefully removed from their parents and held in Detention Centers where conditions have been described by official observers, some of the congressional members here with us today as una sanitary and dangerously overcrowded. And thats just a few of the examples. Beyond those examples, the president has repeatedly stated a preference for white immigrants over immigrants of color. In august of 2016, men candidate trump expressed a desire to return to the 1924 quota system to maintain historical norms. The 1924 system was in the words of its proponent, then senator reed of pennsylvania, a scientific plan for keeping America American, quote, unquote. But by sharply limiting nonwhite immigration. The president upon learning that 15,000 haitians and 40,000 nigerians received visas to enter the United States reportedly exclaimed that haitians all have aids and that upon seeing the United States nigerians would never return to their huts in africa. At the same meeting, President Trump expressed his preference for more immigrants from places like norway. These statements, again, are only a portion of the president s statements expressing animus towards persons of color and his administration have a variety of policies reflecting that animus. As stated earlier, the critical importance of this case to Daca Recipients could not be understated. Its critical to what this country means. The decision to rescind the program that protects the removal of nearly 700,000 persons brought to the u. S. As children is not subject to judicial scrutiny, even if that rescission is motivated by racial animus. Now, i just want to pause there because thats a breathtaking argument that our government would argue that courts could not review a decision, even if its motivated by racial amimus. Of the administration formally stated that the rescission was motivated by a desire to remove has formally stated im sorry. That would mean that article 3 courts could not review the administrations decision even if its stated that the decision was based on a desire to remove as many latinos as possible from the country. That simply is not the law and it cannot be the law of this country. Lds continues to stand with our partners in opposition to this administration and its policies. We will, vanita said, use our full source and litigation and policy and advocacy and all of the tools at our disposal to stand with our brothers and sisters in this effort and we look forward to hearing and seeing the results from the court today and hoping that they will recognize the importance of this case and uphold our democracy. Thank you. Thank you. Janet [applaus [applause] janet, i know you spoke, but i just want to ask you if you have any final thoughts . I now have one question about the president s position for the audience for the panel. Yeah, i just want to say that i think its important for us to establish as civil rights leaders that there is a civil rights frame to this, that is something that we should be prioritizing. You know, we know theres human rights, immigrant rights, but from a civil rights, which is the foundation from so much of what we consider to be equality as a basis for our democracy, we can make this case, and we are making this case. You know, for us, i think we saw the separation of families occurring on the border and we were outraged, as we should have been by this action. Dreamers, who are the parents of 255,000 children would be removed from their children, that universal rejection of separation of families that applied on the border most certainly applies when we apply it when we look at the lives of these dreamers as parents rooted in communities making contributions every day and displaying the best, the very best of American Values. We need to uphold our American Values as we look at this case today and thats what were asking the Supreme Court to do. Thank you. I was going to ask about the president s tweets this morning, but i realized we should spend less time focusing on him. [laughter] its a we have a senator here and we will welcome her to the stage. [applaus [applause] [inaudible conversations] thank you. Actually, you can all hear me, cant you . Oh, thank you. This is much better. I like to be closer to you all. So, thank you very much. How many of you came from new york in the march . Some of you, yes, ill be introducing you, but hundreds, hundreds of you marched. Wasnt that something, 16 days . [applause] to your home, home is here, yes, home is here and for all immigrants and i am an immigrant myself, some of you may know that. Home is here. And over the course of my public service, there are three, what i call life lessons that i think is applicable in all kind of situations, including this one. And the first is that one person can make a difference. In my case, my mother changed my life by bringing me to this country, but in the case of all of you, the daca participants, 800,000 plus and all the supporters coming together as you did in the months that you hoped that congress would do the right thing and pass the law that would protect Daca Recipients, you came in force. So, one person can make a difference, but when we Work Together its that much more powerful. Second life lesson is half the battle is showing up. And youre here and its not just to show up physically, but to continue to show up because the battles that we think weve won, whether its on womens rights, gay rights, lggtq, the environment. The battles weve won dont say won. We have to keep showing up and thats what you all are doing because you showed up day after day after day, hundreds and hundreds of you at the capital, hoping, as i said, that we would enact a law that the president says if you cant come with me, come to me with a bipartisan bill, i will sign it, which is yet another broken promise, by the way. This presidency is littered with lies and broken promises, but half the battle is showing up. Were going to need to keep showing up until we provide the protections for the daca participants and do the right thing with regard to comprehensive immigration reform. And the third is, leaving our comfort zone and for a lot of us, protesting, marching, thats not something that we normally do, but, you know what . These are times that call for us to do those things that we believe in and to march and not just to march, because thats important to show solidarity, but then to do those things such as voter registration, get people to out to vote so that we can have people here who truly are committed to human rights and environmental rights, Climate Change, believe in Climate Change as though its religious and not a science, and all the things that remains to be done and theres a lot. This is a very divided country and these are not normal times and all of us have to do that which is more than we usually do. So, i want to thank you for your commitment. Yesterday is a really important day because the case is before the Supreme Court. Its just one of the many cases that the Supreme Court is going to get to decide not just related to immigration, but womens rights, health care and all the things that the people in our country care about, could be divided negatively by the Supreme Court. I tried to get on to the to get into the hearing, but it must be very crowded. Lots of interest. To each and every one of you, i will keep on fighting and staying the course because i know who im fighting for, just as you know, and why. I would like to introduce, i think there are three people here who were on the march and i want to introduce them. Jung wu kim. [applause] chris larson. Chris larson. [applause] marcy flores. Marcy oh, okay. I hope everything is okay. Are you guys going to come up and share some experiences . So, yay. [applause] the. This was on the march. I want to acknowledge two other people in our audience who made a huge impact on the march. Christian, please stand up. Christian, please stand up. Christian was pivotal in the safety of the marchers along the way and one of the most individuals that touched my heart was the mothers that marched because the mothers were there fighting for their children, as they brought their children here to this country for a better life and theyre still fighting for a better life. So carolina, please stand up. [applaus [applause] greatly appreciate it. One of the things that we want to keep in mind is that this country has fought since early ages, theyve fought for separation from england, and who were those people that fought . They were immigrants. If we look at all of us, were all from immigrants, so what is the difference now, immigrants now versus then . Were still fighting for equal rights. Were still fighting for our citizenship. This is something that we strongly believe in, the citizenship for all, because we all came to this country for better life. Were not going to sit down and just let people dictate whats going to happen to us. We all need to stand together to make sure that everybody has equal rights, that everyone has citizenship. Thank you. [applause]. Hello, im a daca recipient and one of the marchers, for the march, woo a shout out to the marchers, woo hoo yeah, we marched 18 days, 20, 30 miles from new york to d. C. Yeah, it was fun. [laughter] so we marched not only for, in the name of the justice, we march to build community of love, community of compassion, community of caring, sharing. I think thats what we need the most, not only just our political agenda. I think we need more love and compassion, right . So thats why we build up during the march and the marchers waiting for us to gather up to the Supreme Court, and i want to say just one thing, its very clear, we want to defend daca and tps. Not only daca and tps, if you defend it, its still i dont want to live my life every two years to prove to the system that i exist, that im worth to be here. I dont want to go every two years and pay 495 for that. I want Permanent Solutions that all 11 Million Immigrants to stay with human rights and which is citizenship for all. If the justice say daca is illegal take away daca, i could be separated from my family, my loved ones, my sister, my friends. And so, i want to close the camp. No more Detention Center and abolish ice right here, right now. Yes. And thank you and lets march. [applaus [applause] so at this time, i know a lot of people have busy schedules, but its a really short march. Its across the street to the Supreme Court. I hope you join us and senator hira hirano. Lets everybody get up and march over to the courthouse. Thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] watch the cspan Networks Live this week as the House Intelligence Committee holds the first public impeachment hearings. The committee by adam schiff will hear from three state department officials, from cspan 3. Top u. S. Diplomate in ukraine, William Taylor and Deputy Assistant secretary of state george kent will testify. On friday at 11 a. M. Eastern on cspan2, former ambassador to ukraine will appear before the committee. And ahead of the hearings, a testimony from the deposition, find the transcripts at cspan. Org impeachment. Follow the house impeachment inquiry and the administrations response on cspan. Unfiltered coverage live on tv, our radio app and online. Watch prime time reairs on cspan or stream anytime on demand at cspan. Org impeachmen
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