Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/905854
28 ADVOCATE | WINTER 2017 Social Justice T his past October, DACAmented educators and students today joined House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Rep. Judy Chu as well as leaders from the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, to highlight the impact of the White House's decision to rescind DACA. Phoenix Union Classified Education Association member Hugo Arreola, along with other DACAmented educators and students Lee-Ann Graham and Vicente Rodriguez, also urged Congress to fight for Dreamers and pass the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017. "Dreamers and DACA recipients — aspiring young Americans, our neighbors, our students, and, yes, 20,000 of our colleagues in education – deserve the certainty and protections the Dream Act provides," said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. "We will continue to raise our voices in a collective chorus to defend and protect them. It's time to pass the Dream Act of 2017." Ninety seven percent of DACA recipients are currently employed or enrolled in school according to a recent survey. More than a third of Dreamers are between the ages of 16 and 20. A Center for American Progress analysis, based on a survey of DACAmented Educators and Students to Congress: Pass the Dream Act Now NEA and AFT continue to urge Congress to fight for Dreamers and their families