The DREAM Act is in limbo and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Northern California have undocumented immigrants on edge.
However, San Francisco's Acting Mayor London Breed on Thursday made the city’s stance on immigration clear.
“We always have been and always will be a sanctuary city,” she said. “We’re not going to change any of our laws because of the threats from the federal government. I said that time and time again.”
Breed points out the city has been proactive with funding for legal defense and DACA applications. At a rally Thursday, Dreamers and activists called on Congress to support a clean DREAM Act to protect recipients of the DACA program with a budget deadline looming.
“We don’t need ice here and we don’t need them separating our families and deporting our communities,” Breed said.
Katiuska Pimentel, a Peru native, was in the crowd.
“I work with undocumented youth like myself,” she said. “We need a clean dream act we need a pathway to citizenship we don’t want any enforcement.”
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Pimentel came to the U.S. at a young age and says she now worries for her family and community.
“It’s a hard time for us. There is a lot of fear (for) my parents,” she said.
As for defending the sanctuary city, Breed said: “When you grow up in the projects you spend your life trying to avoid going to jail. This is one of the issues I wouldn’t mind basically going to jail for the first time in my life over.”
