PHOTO/SEED PROJECT
NEW YORK — Eleven undocumented youth and allies began a “Walk to Stay Home,” a 15-day walk from Battery Park in New York to the Martin Luther King memorial in Washington in February.
The 250-mile journey was organized by the Seed Project with the support of the Our Dream Campaign to draw attention to the need for a clean Dream Act that not only grants permanent protection for undocumented youth, but does not harm 11 million undocumented people living and working in the United States.
“It is time for us undocumented youth to once again step out of the shadows and make a simple demand: Let us stay home,” said Héctor Jairo Martínez, a DACA recipient from Brooklyn
The “Walk to Stay Home” is undocumented youths’ response to politicians who use “Dreamers” as talking points on the campaign trail, but back down when it is time to demonstrate real support. Democrats showed no sign of using their power to protect the undocumented youth while Republicans drafted legislation to drive the immigrant community deeper into the shadows.
The walkers’ sacrifice to stand for their right to stay home underscores their dedication to loved ones who have not been offered the same protection under DACA.
