A Racist Ransom Note

The White House Dreamer Deal Isn’t A Compromise. It’s A Racist Ransom Note. - Juan Escalante

It’s no secret that Miller, along with Gen. John “Adult In The Room” Kelly, has been penning some of the most heinous immigration policies coming out of the White House. One might even wonder if Miller and Kelly, not President Donald Trump, are running the government from the sidelines ― exploiting Trump’s short attention span.

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We have all lived through too much pain and fear to merely sell our families out in this way. As people, not “illegal immigrants” or bargaining chips, we recognize that the values and promises that this country has to offer are rooted in the idea that hard work will eventually give us the opportunity to fully live the American dream. The same goes for our parents, the original Dreamers who left everything behind. They took a chance and even risked their lives to provide us, their kids, with a better life and better opportunities. As Dreamers, we will demand that their sacrifices not be made in vain.

The media, and anyone else watching this debate unfold, must resist any urge to label Trump and Miller’s immigration outline as a “deal.” It’s little more than a racist ransom note from a group of nativists who are willing to dangle 800,000 young teenagers and adults over a cliff while simultaneously replacing core American values with poison. This is as far as Republicans could ever be from a reasonable and fair negotiation.

Dreamers have been part of the immigration debate since 2001. We have helped to define the discussion on immigration over the past few years. There is no way that Dreamers would turn their backs on the people who raised them, helped them and encouraged them to be their best. And America shouldn’t betray Dreamers by paying the ransom that a handful of xenophobes are demanding in exchange for their protection.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-escalante-dreamer-deal_us_5a6b366de4b0ddb658c5b86c?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009