I continue to worry about what will happen to my undocumented friends and classmates once the president-elect takes office “[DREAMers’ nightmare: Where do we go now?” Nov. 28]. So many of them have worked so hard to get where they are, and I can’t stand the thought of that being taken away from them. As a community, we must stand together to protect our undocumented population and demand their safety and fair treatment.
The situation at times feels very helpless, but that is not the case. There are concrete, meaningful actions we can take to protect our undocumented classmates. Presidents are not kings and they cannot deport 11 million people on their own. The House and Senate may be controlled by the same party, but that doesn’t mean they will vote the same way. The Senate, in particular, has a history of moderate policy, and so long as the filibuster remains intact, there is no reason this should stop. Our senators work for us, and if we want them to do the right thing on this issue, we must let them know directly. We cannot afford to wait and see what will happen–our senators need to know that the students of UTRGV stand with our undocumented classmates. They need to hear it from us, their bosses, and they need to hear it now, as they prepare for the 2017 legislative session.
Our senators each have regional South Texas offices for this very reason–to hear from constituents on a local level. Sen. Ted Cruz’s South Texas regional office can be reached at (202) 224-5922, and Sen. John Cornyn’s can be reached at (202) 224-2934. Call them and make your voice heard!
Mimosa Thomas
Biology junior
