Nearly 90% of Americans support permanent legal status for Dreamers—including Republican and Democratic leaders—but Congress has failed to act.
For Elias Garcia, this issue isn't political. It's personal.
He was born in Mexico, but his parents, who were in college at the time, brought him to the United States when he was one year old for the possibility of a better future. Elias is now a student at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona and wants to be a part of the only country he has ever really known.
Elias is a Dreamer—one of millions who were brought to this country as children and have since become integral members of our society. Today's political failures mean their lives and futures remain frighteningly uncertain.
"There are Dreamers going to school not knowing if they will be given the permission to work," Elias recently said. Such barriers reduce their ability to contribute to the United States.
In February 2019, The LIBRE Initiative—which is part of the Stand Together community—stood with Elias and 50 other Dreamers and community leaders as they spoke on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The event was supported by groups with a wide range of perspectives, including UnidosUS, FWD.us, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Immigration Forum, and more.
This approach—uniting with anyone to do right, even if we disagree on other issues—has produced major reforms that are improving people's lives.
Over the last year alone the Stand Together community has helped pass many reforms with support from all sides, including historic criminal justice reform that helps people who made a mistake earn a second chance at life, regulatory reforms that allow terminally ill patients to access potentially life-saving treatments, and reforms to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that benefit former service members.
