Dreamers' Bad Dream a Nightmare

Dreamers' Bad Dream a Nightmare
 By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

As the push for comprehensive immigration reform begins to build in the House of Representatives, Mohammad Abdollahi and the leadership of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA) made a couple of serious tactical mistakes costing them the support of Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill).   

Congressman Gutierrez agreed to a private meeting last week in Washington, D.C. with NIYA and parents of the Dreamers detained by ICE in El Paso, Texas.  The statement from Rep. Gutierrez stated the meeting was “frank, emotional, and confidential.” Gutierrez had been working with The Department Homeland Security and an attorney representing the detained students to gain their release.

Unfortunately, the meeting was “recorded surreptitiously by NIYA, without the knowledge of the parents, the Congressman or his staff.” NIYA dreamers started a “sit-in” in Congressman Gutierrez’s Office. They were asked to leave, one refused until Rep. Gutierrez called President Obama asking him to release the dreamers detained in El Paso. Gutierrez’s staff called the police and had the dreamer removed from the office.  This incident along with the recording of the meeting, Rep. Gutierrez broke off his relationship with NIYA and their affiliated advocates at DREAMActivists.org. 

The Congressman had become disenchanted with NIYA for their public opposition to immigration reform. Mohammad Abdollahi on his Facebook page stated his opposition. “I am going to kill immigration reform in the most productive way this summer. y’all have seen nothing just yet.”

The outcome of Congressman Gutierrez are the hostile and mean-spirited comments by dreamers that he “should be removed from office.”  “Doesn’t he know he elected to represent us?” I hate to break the news, but for dreamers to making demands on elected officials, doing sit-ins in their offices, after being asked to leave, is not the way to build a coalition. Some of the dreamers seem to have forgotten that Rep. Gutierrez has worked very hard in representing their position. Now he is being called out for being “a sneaking politician.” 

With the pressure of fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, it is difficult as it is, struggling against the Right Wing of the GOP, without having the NIYA working to defeat the legislation.

The reality that many dreamers fail to understand, American Latinos have been strong supporters of immigration reform.  I have been a strong advocate among other faith leaders calling for unity to support reform. However, I will not accept the lack of respect for one of our national leaders, Rep. Luis Gutierrez. 

I will work with those dreamers who will respect our government process, as disappointing and difficult as it is. But I will join Rep. Gutierrez in not supporting the NIYA and their affiliate advocates at DREAMActivists.org.

I believe it is time for some of the more outspoken dreamers that a better strategy is to back off and attempt to salvage the serious miscalculation of recording the meeting “surreptitiously without the knowledge” of the parents and Rep. Gutierrez.

I suspect this outburst of disrespectful comments on the social media will create an even deeper rift between other Latino elected officials and others like myself who are fighting for comprehensive immigration reform. In-spite of the lack of respect and maturity of some dreamers, we will continue to work to pass immigration reform, but will be more careful of the dreamer groups who have rejected the support of members of our national leadership and who would rather not work for comprehensive immigration reform.

Here are copies of the press release issued by Congressman Luis Gutierrez Office.

This afternoon the office of Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) released the following statement about the #Dream30. On October 16, Gutierrez had supported the group.

Congressman will no longer work with National Immigrant Youth Alliance

(NIYA) or DREAMActivist.org on deportation and detention case

Washington, DC – This afternoon, representatives of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA), DREAMActivist.org, and the DREAM30 sat-in at the office of Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) in Washington, D.C.  One activist, who was recently released from detention in El Paso, Texas at the request of Congressman Gutiérrez, was removed from the office of Congressman Gutiérrez for refusing to leave until the Congressman spoke personally with President Obama and secured the release of other detainees.  The activists were asked to leave by U.S. Capitol Police.  Two activists left the office.  A third refused and was escorted out by U.S. Capitol Police.  

The following is a statement from Douglas Rivlin, spokesman and Director of Communication for Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez:

The Office of Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) will no longer work with the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA) and their affiliated advocates at DREAMActivist.org

The Congressman met privately with the parents of some of the young people in detention in El Paso last week in Washington; a meeting that was frank, emotional, and confidential.  But that meeting was also recorded surreptitiously by NIYA, without the knowledge of the parents, the Congressman or his staff.  It is unfortunate that the actions of the advocates in this case are preventing this office from being able to work with parents and family who are understandably and rightly concerned for the safety of their son or daughter.

The illicit tape recording of a confidential conversation was the latest chapter in a long and difficult relationship with NIYA and its leaders.  The NIYA leaders have expressed their strong opposition to immigration reform (LINK), have expressed disturbing racism (LINK), and have put young people in harm’s way.  In talking with the families, the Congressman and his staff believe that the parents and families were being manipulated by NIYA and its leaders and were not well informed about the law and the legal process.

The Congressman is warning parents that these actions can hurt the chances that young people will be able to return to the United States or live legally in the United States.  Only one in ten asylum cases like these are approved and a deportation or removal could put future legal status in doubt.  The Congressman continues to fight for the ability of DREAMers and their parents to remain in the U.S. or to enter legally if they have been removed or left the United States.

The Congressman’s staff had been working with the Department of Homeland Security and the attorney for the detainees to help secure their release.  The Congressman’s staff has also communicated directly with a number of the parents, siblings and supporters of the detainees in the past several weeks.