WEBVTT - The Dreamers

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<v Speaker 1>Most people think that the origins of President Obama's twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twelve executive ordered DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,

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<v Speaker 1>started with the Dream Act and the Dreamer, and it did.

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<v Speaker 1>But in many ways, the seeds for DACA were planted

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<v Speaker 1>way back. Picture this. It's nineteen seventy two and there's

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<v Speaker 1>this guy, let's call him John, nervously walking down the

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<v Speaker 1>streets of New York with this lady and they each

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<v Speaker 1>got one eye over their shoulders, hair annoid. See. John's

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<v Speaker 1>in trouble. He's got a big mouth, a drug possession charge,

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<v Speaker 1>and normally it would be okay, especially in nineteen seventy two,

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<v Speaker 1>for a white dude to run his mouth and smoke

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<v Speaker 1>a little weed. But this saint no ordinary white dude.

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<v Speaker 1>John's an immigrant with no legal status, and he's afraid

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<v Speaker 1>that the nineteen seventy two equivalent of ICE is going

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<v Speaker 1>to scoop him up and deport him. John and his

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<v Speaker 1>lady get to their destination and knock on the door.

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<v Speaker 1>They're a few minutes late and it's locked, so John

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<v Speaker 1>knocks again, louder, looking over his shoulder one more time

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<v Speaker 1>as the door opened. Finally, this big shot immigration lawyer

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<v Speaker 1>is upset that John is late. Take it easy, man,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm under enough pressure as it is. The lawyer, a

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<v Speaker 1>guy named Leon Wilde, apologizes. They don't know it yet,

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<v Speaker 1>but these two white dudes are about to get into

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<v Speaker 1>a big fight with the US government that will change

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<v Speaker 1>the course of history for a bunch of black, brown

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<v Speaker 1>immigrants decades later, because Leon and John are gonna fight

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<v Speaker 1>for John's right to stay in this country using deferred action,

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<v Speaker 1>just like the Daka kids, the precedent that probably paved

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<v Speaker 1>the way for Obama's executive action to save the Dreamers

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<v Speaker 1>from deportation. And there's something oddly poetic about that, because

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you've never heard of Leon Wilds, John's lawyer, but

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<v Speaker 1>you've probably heard of John.

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<v Speaker 2>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>the only one. Yeah that John, as in the Beatles,

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<v Speaker 1>John Lennon, that fool was a dreamer in more ways

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<v Speaker 1>than his often quoted lyrics on imagine would lead us

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<v Speaker 1>to believe. John Lennon and his lawyer, Leon fought hard

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<v Speaker 1>in the courts and won using a secret program Leon

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<v Speaker 1>found called prosecutorial discretion, which basically says that immigration officials

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<v Speaker 1>could prioritize certain cases. John Lennon's deportation was paused indefinitely,

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<v Speaker 1>and that case became the basis for DACA. But as

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<v Speaker 1>inspiring as that story is, this is in John Lennon's story.

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<v Speaker 1>John Lennon uses fame and fortune to hire lawyers to

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<v Speaker 1>beat the system. The undocumented immigrant dreamers from my generation

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<v Speaker 1>had to become lawyers and publicists and pr agencies themselves

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<v Speaker 1>to fight the system. And not just lawyers, but undocumented lawyers,

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<v Speaker 1>fighting the very system that's trying to kill their dreams

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<v Speaker 1>and deport them from the only home they know. Two

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<v Speaker 1>lawyers in particular played a pivotal role in daca's formation

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<v Speaker 1>and survival. Being an undocumented lawyer gave them intimate knowledge

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<v Speaker 1>to help and serve their clients. They knew how to

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<v Speaker 1>help those who were to because they themselves were once detained.

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<v Speaker 1>These two and the larger collective of undocumented folk fought

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<v Speaker 1>and are fighting still so that the generation after them

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't inherit their struggle. They do well Lenin didn't with

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<v Speaker 1>all his millions in fame. They fight collectively so that

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<v Speaker 1>even someone more famous than Jesus won't be deported. This

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<v Speaker 1>is their story I America, Lindo.

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<v Speaker 2>And dom Patti Rodriguez. This is Out of the Shadows,

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<v Speaker 2>a podcast about America's tangled history of immigration. Last season,

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<v Speaker 2>we tackled Ronald Reagan's nineteen eighty six Amnesty Act. This season,

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<v Speaker 2>we're tracing the origins of DACA, or Deferred Action for

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<v Speaker 2>Childhood Arrivals, a contentious executive order to protect undocumentedy young

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<v Speaker 2>people from being.

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<v Speaker 1>Deported issued by former President Obama in twenty twelve. DACA

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<v Speaker 1>was meant to be a temporary stop gap on a

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<v Speaker 1>broken immigration system.

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<v Speaker 2>It was like.

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<v Speaker 1>Putting a bucket under a leaky roof. But with multiple

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<v Speaker 1>Supreme Court challenges and looming presidential elections, the root feels

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<v Speaker 1>like it can collapse at any moment, impacting the US economy,

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<v Speaker 1>American culture as we know it. Meanwhile, the future of

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<v Speaker 1>millions of lives hang in the balance.

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<v Speaker 2>Welcome to Out of the Shadows Dreamers. Hi, Eric, Hey,

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<v Speaker 2>I haven't seen you since yesterday. We're back.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone. This is season two of Out of the Shadows,

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<v Speaker 2>and as you know, season one we talked about the

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<v Speaker 2>children of eighty six, our families, our parents who in

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen eighty six, received amnesty after President Ronald Reagan signed

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<v Speaker 2>a bill that allowed us to come out of the Shadows,

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<v Speaker 2>giving hope and opportunity to millions of our parents, millennials us,

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<v Speaker 2>giving us the opportunity to go after our dreams, raise

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<v Speaker 2>families without fear of deportation that for many years our

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<v Speaker 2>parents carried. And that's quite a privilege, absolutely, and that

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<v Speaker 2>is why we're here today to do season two of

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<v Speaker 2>Out of the Shadows. Because the immigration system was not

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<v Speaker 2>fixed in nineteen eighty six, there's still so much to

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<v Speaker 2>be done. For years, families have escaped war, poverty, violence,

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<v Speaker 2>and many times traveling with their children. And those children

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<v Speaker 2>are now adults who have made this country home, just

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<v Speaker 2>like you and I living in limbo in this country.

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<v Speaker 2>And for the last twenty years, they've been fighting to

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<v Speaker 2>stay in discuss try as they should because this is

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<v Speaker 2>their home. And for those listening, we know them as dreamers,

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<v Speaker 2>and we're here to tell their story.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, the dreamers DACA. If you don't know what DOCA is,

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<v Speaker 1>it's basically a piece of paper that allows you to

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<v Speaker 1>work and if you are a model citizen, they won't

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<v Speaker 1>deport you. But you're still undocumented. It's a very weird

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<v Speaker 1>in between ambivalent status that is constantly at risk of

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<v Speaker 1>going away and.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric, we've talked about the survivor's guilt. Maybe that's the

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<v Speaker 2>right word. If that pen hadn't touched that paper in

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen eighty six, we would still more than likely be

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<v Speaker 2>living in the shadows. But that wasn't our fate. We're

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<v Speaker 2>both aware that this immigration system is still very much broken,

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<v Speaker 2>and we have a responsibility to give our community. I

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<v Speaker 2>don't want to say the voiceless, because we're not voiceless,

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<v Speaker 2>give our community the platform to share their stories and

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<v Speaker 2>to understand that while there's more to us than immigration,

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<v Speaker 2>immigration is very much part of our community and we

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<v Speaker 2>can't ignore it because there's millions of undocumented individuals in

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<v Speaker 2>this country that make this country so beautiful. Yet they

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<v Speaker 2>don't have the privileges that you and I have because

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<v Speaker 2>of a freaking piece of paper.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, that is correct, I agree one hundred percent. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>last season, those stories were told by the people that

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<v Speaker 1>lived them, and I think it's important for the story

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<v Speaker 1>of Daca to be told by the people that live them,

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<v Speaker 1>and so that's what we're going to do this season.

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to tell the history of DACA as it's

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<v Speaker 1>unfolded and it continues to unfold, because, like I said,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a moving target. So we're going to tell that

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<v Speaker 1>history on this season. You ready, I'm ready, and go ahead,

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<v Speaker 1>let's go.

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<v Speaker 2>In twenty twelve, President Obama issued the DOCA Executive Order,

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<v Speaker 2>changing the lives, at least for now, of close to

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<v Speaker 2>one million young undocumented individuals. It granted a two year

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<v Speaker 2>protection from deportation and a work permit. And while DOCA

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<v Speaker 2>has its flaws, which we'll definitely get into, it has

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<v Speaker 2>been around for over a decade. It has transformed millions

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<v Speaker 2>of people's lives. DOCTA recipients are our neighbors, your doctors,

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<v Speaker 2>your classmates, your co workers, your children's teachers, your lawyers. Currently,

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<v Speaker 2>DOCA is in very serious jeopardy. That's immigration lawyer Luis

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<v Speaker 2>Cortez Romero. I think the realistic probability is that the

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<v Speaker 2>doc is going to be oversea. Louise knows a lot

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<v Speaker 2>about DOCCA, since he's one of the people fighting to

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<v Speaker 2>save it again. See, over the course of its life

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<v Speaker 2>has been killed and brought back to life. And he's right,

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<v Speaker 2>DOCA is in constant danger. There are a bunch of

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<v Speaker 2>states suing the government to end it. Like right now

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<v Speaker 2>as we're recording this podcast, DOACA could end at any

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<v Speaker 2>minute because DOCA is not really in action. It's a pause,

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<v Speaker 2>and pauses usually get on paused. But in the decade

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<v Speaker 2>that DOCA has paused deportation for countless dreamers, they've become

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<v Speaker 2>an integral part of our communities, our economies, and our

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<v Speaker 2>very way of life. In other words, DOACA is a

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<v Speaker 2>pause that's kind of too big to fail.

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<v Speaker 1>In some ways, DOCA is a direct result of the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty six amnesty bill known as ERCA that we

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<v Speaker 1>covered in Season one of Out of the Shadows. But

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<v Speaker 1>that was a story about a bill that would not die.

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<v Speaker 1>The story of DACA is about a generation of dreamers

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<v Speaker 1>that refuse to be ignored, people who refused to hide

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<v Speaker 1>in the shadows and fought a very public fight to

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<v Speaker 1>be recognized. But it's also because of a path opened

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<v Speaker 1>up by the nineteen eighty six law that gave our

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<v Speaker 1>parents a path toward a better life in the United States,

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<v Speaker 1>a path that opened up the American promise of upward

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<v Speaker 1>mobility to millions of immigrant families and that included a

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<v Speaker 1>bunch of kids who wanted nothing more than to get

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<v Speaker 1>a fair shot at an education. It's honestly hard to

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<v Speaker 1>pinpoint the exact beginning of DACA, but there's a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of places to start. One is the Dream Act, where

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<v Speaker 1>education became the most visible way to see immigration and

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<v Speaker 1>as unbelievable as it sounds. Another starting point is that

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<v Speaker 1>John lennoncase, and we'll get into it after the break.

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<v Speaker 1>Even though daca's story is in John Lennon's story, the

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<v Speaker 1>case we told you about at the top of the

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<v Speaker 1>show was influential in doca's creation as a law When my.

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<v Speaker 3>Dad met with John and you have to get his

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<v Speaker 3>book to believe this, and this is the liturgy in

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<v Speaker 3>my family.

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<v Speaker 1>That's Michael Wilds. His father is Leon Wilds, John Lennon's

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<v Speaker 1>lawyer we told you about.

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<v Speaker 3>He had no idea who John was. He came home

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<v Speaker 3>to my mom. My mom said, who were the heavyweights

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<v Speaker 3>he met with tonight? Leon, And he said, some actor

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<v Speaker 3>or singer, Jack Lennon and his wife Yoko Moto. You

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<v Speaker 3>have no idea how naive dad was.

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<v Speaker 1>Leon may have not known who John Lennon was, but

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people did, including the president at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>Richard Nixon.

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<v Speaker 3>Lennon was placed in deportation proceedings by the Nixon administration.

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<v Speaker 3>The reason for the urgency to remove him at the

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<v Speaker 3>time was at nineteen seventy two, again, eighteen to twenty

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<v Speaker 3>one year olds were first enabled to vote in national elections.

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<v Speaker 3>Lennon was advocating that we get out of the Vietnam War,

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<v Speaker 3>and a great number of young people were listening. John

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<v Speaker 3>and Yoko were looking for a child that Yoko had

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<v Speaker 3>that was absconded by a prior husband, and the Beatle

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<v Speaker 3>wanted to live in the United States and exercise a

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<v Speaker 3>prosecutoral discretion. Was discovered when my dad sued the government

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<v Speaker 3>under the Freedom of Information Act and discovered this whole program.

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<v Speaker 3>It was like an iceberg. Most of it had been

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<v Speaker 3>hidden at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Basically, what that means is that immigration officials could decide

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<v Speaker 1>whether or not to remove immigrants. Mike's father, Leon was ecstatic.

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<v Speaker 3>My father used the word jubilation is now ninety when

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<v Speaker 3>eighteen hundred and forty three such a proof. Cases of drugsters, mobsters, burglars,

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<v Speaker 3>people who had done bad things were often led by

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<v Speaker 3>immigration to the ions in those days as a discussionary

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<v Speaker 3>tool to avoid removal for deportable aliens who had been

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<v Speaker 3>who had some special humanitarian reasons for remaining.

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<v Speaker 1>Michael believes that President Obama used that quote unquote Lenin

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<v Speaker 1>doctrine half a century later, and there.

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<v Speaker 3>Was a president forty five years later. It's now fifty

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<v Speaker 3>years but then forty five years later, President Obama rested

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<v Speaker 3>his hat on the hook that was placed by a

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<v Speaker 3>dreamer and a scholar, by John Lennon and my father,

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<v Speaker 3>Leon Wilds, because of that discovery in that case, there

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<v Speaker 3>are about a million people in the United States that

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<v Speaker 3>have the right to be here. You can say I'm

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<v Speaker 3>a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. That's a

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<v Speaker 3>famous stanza in the imagined song.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, he truly wasn't the only one. Because maybe the

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<v Speaker 1>Lenin case created the seeds for a deferred action plan

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<v Speaker 1>that was able to grow and help propel the hopes

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<v Speaker 1>of a bunch of undocumented kids who wanted to go

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<v Speaker 1>to college. They were called the dreamers.

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<v Speaker 2>But not everyone agrees that the Lenin story is where

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<v Speaker 2>the story of Daka starts. Here's legendary journalist hor He ramos.

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<v Speaker 4>I tend to see it separately. I mean, even though

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<v Speaker 4>they have many influences, and we can spend hours and

0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:35.160
<v Speaker 4>hours talking about the influences for the Dreamers, I wouldn't.

0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:35.880
<v Speaker 2>Go back that far.

0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:39.440
<v Speaker 4>I mean I would go back to twenty ten, to

0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:44.400
<v Speaker 4>the walk that three Dreamers and another immigrant made from

0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:48.800
<v Speaker 4>Miami to Washington, d C. I think that was incredibly important.

0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:52.480
<v Speaker 2>Ramos is referring to what's known as the Trail of Dreams.

0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:57.120
<v Speaker 2>Were Felippe Matos, Gai Pacheco, Carlos ro and Juandrodriguez, who

0:15:57.120 --> 0:16:01.200
<v Speaker 2>were college students in Miami Dade County the fifteen hundred

0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.440
<v Speaker 2>miles to Washington, d C. To raise awareness and support

0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:05.720
<v Speaker 2>for the Dream Act.

0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.080
<v Speaker 4>From my point of view, everything started with that walk,

0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:12.280
<v Speaker 4>and then everything every single day. I still remember we

0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:15.960
<v Speaker 4>were reporting about them and they were still here, and

0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:19.320
<v Speaker 4>then the next day and they were still here, and

0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:21.920
<v Speaker 4>they were getting closer to DC and they were still

0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.680
<v Speaker 4>here and they were not deported. So actually they were,

0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:28.760
<v Speaker 4>I believe, testing the system. They were testing the waters,

0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:31.600
<v Speaker 4>they were testing the political system to see how far

0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:33.920
<v Speaker 4>they were willing to go. And I think they found

0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:38.080
<v Speaker 4>this new energy and new strategy that showed them that

0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.080
<v Speaker 4>things could change, and they were absolutely right.

0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:52.880
<v Speaker 2>Lizbeth Matteo came to the States when she was fourteen

0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.560
<v Speaker 2>years old and had the hope of being an attorney

0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:55.960
<v Speaker 2>one day.

0:16:56.840 --> 0:16:59.280
<v Speaker 5>That was very naive, thinking that it would be easy

0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:02.520
<v Speaker 5>because counting and they hear her a couple of years

0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:04.159
<v Speaker 5>and go to school for a couple of years and

0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:06.840
<v Speaker 5>then go back to all have that and continue my

0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:09.120
<v Speaker 5>life and my dream will becoming an attorney.

0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.960
<v Speaker 2>In many ways, Lizabeth's stream of being a lawyer is

0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.919
<v Speaker 2>like everyone's stream of doing something big. A lot of

0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:19.960
<v Speaker 2>her classmates wanted to be doctors and lawyers, but she

0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:21.600
<v Speaker 2>wasn't like a lot of her classmates.

0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:23.800
<v Speaker 5>And once I finish high school, the role was I'm

0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:24.880
<v Speaker 5>going to go to college here.

0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:27.960
<v Speaker 2>But dad dream seemed to vanish in an instant when

0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:29.760
<v Speaker 2>she went to apply to universities.

0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:33.760
<v Speaker 5>And I remember my that try and telling me I'm

0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:36.640
<v Speaker 5>so sorry. It took me a second to realize why

0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:38.720
<v Speaker 5>he was saying sorry to me, and he said I'm

0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:40.280
<v Speaker 5>sorry that I brought you to this country and that

0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:41.120
<v Speaker 5>you'ren't documented.

0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:44.679
<v Speaker 2>But Lizabeth was determined.

0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:53.840
<v Speaker 5>I connected with other undocumented students and realized organizing is

0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:57.720
<v Speaker 5>an option. Here and maybe the only option to actually

0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:01.159
<v Speaker 5>changing things and realize we have to get involved to

0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:04.960
<v Speaker 5>actually change laws. Back when I first heard about the dream.

0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:07.520
<v Speaker 2>At the Dream Act is how you guessed it. The

0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:11.800
<v Speaker 2>Dreamers get their name, And again it's not John Lennon's

0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:15.200
<v Speaker 2>song that gave birth to the Dream Act. It actually

0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:20.040
<v Speaker 2>started with a nondocumented person of color named Teresa Lee.

0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:38.480
<v Speaker 2>Out of the Shadows, We'll be right back. Teresa Lee

0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:41.280
<v Speaker 2>was born in Brazil to South Korean immigrants, before she

0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:44.800
<v Speaker 2>and her family landed in Chicago, where little Teresa Lee

0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:49.560
<v Speaker 2>began to attend American schools, make American friends, and dream

0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.560
<v Speaker 2>of who she would become when she grew up. But then,

0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:55.640
<v Speaker 2>when she was seven years old, her dad called her

0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.080
<v Speaker 2>and her brother into the living room were a very

0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:02.200
<v Speaker 2>important family meeting. He said, I have a secret to

0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:10.399
<v Speaker 2>tell you. Teresa was undocumented. Her status created a sharp

0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:14.280
<v Speaker 2>sense of fear and anxiety. She'd have nightmares about immigration

0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:17.840
<v Speaker 2>officials raiding her home and deporting her family. That fear

0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:21.000
<v Speaker 2>isolated her from others, and the only thing that calmed

0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:27.080
<v Speaker 2>her nerves was a piano. It brought her joy and purpose,

0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:29.920
<v Speaker 2>and she was really good at it. She was awarded

0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:33.280
<v Speaker 2>a scholarship to study music. She won a competition and

0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:37.840
<v Speaker 2>let a concert with the Chicago Symphony. Once it was

0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:41.359
<v Speaker 2>time to apply for college, she always told teachers and

0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:45.480
<v Speaker 2>mentors as she wouldn't apply, but one teacher insisted she

0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:50.080
<v Speaker 2>at least fill out some applications, and she did, except

0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:57.480
<v Speaker 2>she purposely left one box blank, the social security When

0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:00.280
<v Speaker 2>the teacher noticed a gap of information and brought up

0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:04.840
<v Speaker 2>to Teresa, she burst into tears. She had never told

0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:09.760
<v Speaker 2>anyone outside of her family her secret, her family secret.

0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.600
<v Speaker 2>This teacher helped her and led Teresa to the office

0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:17.760
<v Speaker 2>of a local politician who could help, Senator Dick Durbin.

0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:21.040
<v Speaker 6>This all started the stream Act all started with this

0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:26.880
<v Speaker 6>young lady, Theresa Lee Korean, brought to the United States

0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:29.720
<v Speaker 6>the age of two, grew up in a poor family

0:20:29.760 --> 0:20:35.480
<v Speaker 6>in Chicago, and had an amazing musical talent. Was accepted

0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:38.600
<v Speaker 6>at the Manhattan Conservatory Music and the Juilliard School of Music,

0:20:38.640 --> 0:20:41.280
<v Speaker 6>and because she was undocumented, had no place to go.

0:20:45.359 --> 0:20:50.160
<v Speaker 2>After hearing Teresa's story in the stories of other undocumented students,

0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:54.639
<v Speaker 2>Senator Durbin drafted a bill named the Development, Relief and

0:20:54.800 --> 0:20:59.000
<v Speaker 2>Education for Alien Miners Act, also known as a Dream Act,

0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:03.880
<v Speaker 2>bill would grant temporary residency, a work permit, and a

0:21:03.920 --> 0:21:07.959
<v Speaker 2>pathway to citizenship. It had the potential to be one

0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:12.600
<v Speaker 2>of the biggest immigration reforms since ERCA. The only problem

0:21:12.760 --> 0:21:14.760
<v Speaker 2>was that the Dream Act was introduced in two thousand

0:21:14.800 --> 0:21:18.360
<v Speaker 2>and one, the year that everything about the America Teresa

0:21:18.440 --> 0:21:23.160
<v Speaker 2>Lee knew changed Today. We've had a national tragedy.

0:21:24.680 --> 0:21:30.240
<v Speaker 4>Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center, and

0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:32.359
<v Speaker 4>an apparent terrorist attack on our.

0:21:32.280 --> 0:21:38.000
<v Speaker 2>Country nine eleven quickly changed the trajectory of how people

0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:44.520
<v Speaker 2>saw and treated immigrants, especially the undocumented ones. The public

0:21:44.600 --> 0:21:48.040
<v Speaker 2>was afraid of anyone perceived as an outsider, and after

0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:51.400
<v Speaker 2>the attacks on the Twin Towers, any foreign born person

0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:56.520
<v Speaker 2>could potentially be a terrorist. Tragically, the Dream Act failed

0:21:56.520 --> 0:21:59.440
<v Speaker 2>to pass, but activism continued.

0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:05.320
<v Speaker 7>Today to ensure that this country continues to march towards

0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:13.400
<v Speaker 7>human rights for all. We are here today to say

0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:16.240
<v Speaker 7>that there must be a limit to how working people

0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:20.000
<v Speaker 7>are treated in this country. See say blood It, see

0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:21.119
<v Speaker 7>say plood it.

0:22:26.240 --> 0:22:30.320
<v Speaker 1>C rights activists have long wielded public attention like a

0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:35.200
<v Speaker 1>blunt object. In the nineteen sixties, black civil rights organizers

0:22:35.560 --> 0:22:38.840
<v Speaker 1>use mass media to get their messages out and images

0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:42.199
<v Speaker 1>of violence against the black community were often held up

0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:47.240
<v Speaker 1>as a mirror showing America's ugly racism. There was power

0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:50.520
<v Speaker 1>in making a struggle visible, but if you're an un

0:22:50.560 --> 0:22:55.919
<v Speaker 1>documented immigrant, visibility means danger. Most immigrants are told to

0:22:56.040 --> 0:22:59.200
<v Speaker 1>hide their identity from the world like a shameful curse.

0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:03.639
<v Speaker 1>The shadows were dark, but they were safer than being seen.

0:23:04.440 --> 0:23:08.240
<v Speaker 1>Back in the late eighties, ERCA applicants were terrified to

0:23:08.359 --> 0:23:10.919
<v Speaker 1>apply because they would have to admit to La Migra

0:23:11.359 --> 0:23:14.919
<v Speaker 1>that they were living in the US illegally. But the

0:23:14.960 --> 0:23:18.600
<v Speaker 1>next generation of undocumented immigrants in the late two thousands

0:23:19.040 --> 0:23:24.520
<v Speaker 1>were astonishingly brave. They risked being seen by the world

0:23:24.760 --> 0:23:28.320
<v Speaker 1>and put themselves in danger of deportation to fight for

0:23:28.400 --> 0:23:32.919
<v Speaker 1>their humanity. The Dreamer movement is where undocumented peoples in

0:23:32.960 --> 0:23:36.840
<v Speaker 1>this country demanded in a very public way to be

0:23:37.000 --> 0:23:41.160
<v Speaker 1>recognized and given rights, forcing this country to see another

0:23:41.280 --> 0:23:42.520
<v Speaker 1>ugly side of itself.

0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:45.919
<v Speaker 2>One of those at the heart of the Dreamer movement

0:23:46.280 --> 0:23:51.840
<v Speaker 2>was Lisbeth. Despite her status, she became more involved, participating

0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:56.080
<v Speaker 2>incidents and various protests. She put herself at risk because

0:23:56.160 --> 0:23:59.119
<v Speaker 2>she felt like she had no other choice, and this

0:23:59.240 --> 0:24:00.720
<v Speaker 2>put a tunne of st and her father.

0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:04.800
<v Speaker 5>I remember telling me that, don't ever say that, because

0:24:04.840 --> 0:24:07.480
<v Speaker 5>it's not your fault, like you and my mom made

0:24:07.480 --> 0:24:09.280
<v Speaker 5>a decision to bring this year because he wanted to

0:24:09.280 --> 0:24:11.960
<v Speaker 5>give a better life, and we're going to get that

0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:14.600
<v Speaker 5>life right now. It's just, you know, we have to

0:24:14.640 --> 0:24:17.320
<v Speaker 5>work to make things better so that we get to

0:24:17.359 --> 0:24:20.440
<v Speaker 5>a point where we can actually fly. Yes, we're survival

0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:22.600
<v Speaker 5>more right now, but we're going to thrive someday.

0:24:26.240 --> 0:24:29.040
<v Speaker 1>Daca was born out of the Dream Act, and that

0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:33.600
<v Speaker 1>wouldn't have happened without Lizabeth Thereca, ly and countless other

0:24:33.680 --> 0:24:36.600
<v Speaker 1>people's willingness to come out of the shadows and declare

0:24:36.680 --> 0:24:41.119
<v Speaker 1>to the world I am undocumented and I deserve a

0:24:41.160 --> 0:24:46.000
<v Speaker 1>path to citizenship because, like the civil rights marches before them,

0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:50.600
<v Speaker 1>even like Lenin's immigration battles, the fight to create and

0:24:50.640 --> 0:24:54.840
<v Speaker 1>save Daca was a result of people who are supposed

0:24:54.880 --> 0:24:59.200
<v Speaker 1>to be the victims being the heroes of their own stories.

0:25:00.440 --> 0:25:02.919
<v Speaker 1>And this season and out of the Shadows, we're going

0:25:02.960 --> 0:25:05.520
<v Speaker 1>to tell you how it all went down, why the

0:25:05.600 --> 0:25:09.320
<v Speaker 1>situation remains a constant battle in the courts, and how

0:25:09.359 --> 0:25:13.800
<v Speaker 1>this generation of undocumented Americans are just built different.

0:25:16.119 --> 0:25:19.080
<v Speaker 5>We get in kind of McCain's office, and we will

0:25:19.320 --> 0:25:21.600
<v Speaker 5>use to leave under something will change. And so we

0:25:21.600 --> 0:25:23.360
<v Speaker 5>were arrested as a results, not.

0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:26.560
<v Speaker 8>Just because it was like Obama all of a sudden deciding, Oh,

0:25:26.560 --> 0:25:28.919
<v Speaker 8>should I need some brownie points? Let me give this

0:25:29.000 --> 0:25:31.119
<v Speaker 8>leaders like a couple of work permits. It's like no,

0:25:31.600 --> 0:25:34.040
<v Speaker 8>this fool was pushed against the wall to make this decision.

0:25:34.480 --> 0:25:36.200
<v Speaker 2>I realized that I wasn't going to be able to

0:25:36.240 --> 0:25:36.880
<v Speaker 2>practice law.

0:25:37.160 --> 0:25:39.119
<v Speaker 9>And I think that's where it gets dangerous, because I

0:25:39.119 --> 0:25:41.879
<v Speaker 9>feel like the whole notion of a dreamer, of like

0:25:41.920 --> 0:25:45.480
<v Speaker 9>who deserves, you know, to be granted, you know, permanent

0:25:45.480 --> 0:25:48.000
<v Speaker 9>status and whatnot, is always very much attached to this

0:25:48.119 --> 0:25:50.919
<v Speaker 9>idea that the dreamer is a perfect immigrant.

0:25:51.560 --> 0:26:03.920
<v Speaker 2>This piece of paper really will change your life. Out

0:26:03.920 --> 0:26:06.919
<v Speaker 2>of the Shadows Dreamers is a se Medo production in

0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:12.280
<v Speaker 2>partnership with Iheart'smichael Duda podcast Network. It's created, hosted, and

0:26:12.440 --> 0:26:16.280
<v Speaker 2>executive produced by me Patti Rodriguez, and Eric Galindo. This

0:26:16.359 --> 0:26:19.480
<v Speaker 2>show is written by Sessa Hernandez and executive produced by

0:26:19.520 --> 0:26:25.240
<v Speaker 2>Jaselle Bancis. Our supervising producer is Arlene Santana's produced and

0:26:25.359 --> 0:26:29.760
<v Speaker 2>edited by Brianna Flores. Our associate producer is Claudia Marti Gorena,

0:26:30.640 --> 0:26:34.680
<v Speaker 2>sound design, mixing and mastering by Jessica Cranchich, and a

0:26:34.720 --> 0:26:38.800
<v Speaker 2>special thanks to all Our Dreamers. Remember to subscribe to

0:26:38.840 --> 0:26:42.600
<v Speaker 2>the podcast and share it. For more Michael Duda Podcast,

0:26:43.000 --> 0:26:46.439
<v Speaker 2>listen to the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:26:46.520 --> 0:26:59.240
<v Speaker 2>listen to your favorite shows.