Center fofof American Progress,d welcome you no civil rights and prayer breakfast. We know that the event is at capacity, so if you want to enjoy breakfast, please gather outside or stand along the wall. First, to open up the program, i want to welcome the fearless and the strong and the brave champion who has been chairing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who represents texas and has been a steadfast champion of the immigrants whether they are dreamers, Asylum Seekers and you can find him in the recess breaks at the border, and today, he is going to be joining Daca Recipients in the court as well, so i want everyone to give a round ap of applause for congressman Joaquin Castro. Thank you. Good morning, everybody. I want to thank you all for being here on what is a momentus occasion as we stand in support of the Daca Recipients across the nation. Of course, im Joaquin Castro and i represent the great city of san antonio in the United States congress, and i wanted to thank and recognize the Daca Recipients here and the dreamers. Also to the plaintiffs and the attorneys here who are working so hard and arguing their hearts out, thank you for your work. And of course, today, we take our fight to the Supreme Court, and we believe and we hope that the Supreme Court will recognize the Daca Recipients and dreams are just as american as anyone else. Id also like to recognize gabby pacheco, former usics director, and the dream founder don graham who are also with us this morning. You know this, but i am going to mention it anyway, because there are some folks who dont always recognize it. The dreamers are valuable contributing members of our communities and valuable contributors to the United States economy. They are our neighbors, friend, colleagues. They strengthen our communities and our country, and it is inexcusable that President Trump is forcing the dreamers into legal limbo by trying to cancel the daca program. Knowing that the Supreme Court is going to shortly hear this case has cemented into my mind how cruelly the administration acted in pushing deportation over keeping the dreamers here in the United States. For the last two years the Trump Administration has attacked dreamers by trying to roll back the immigration protection, and putting them at risk for deportation. By rescinding daca, the Trump Administration has manufactured a crisis that has hurt dreamers and american families. Today, our country is taking another important step to reject the Trump Administrations cruel tactics, and while we must wait for next year to hear the final decision for the Supreme Court, today is an important beginning. Today, the brave Daca Recipients and the attorneys and the officials and the advocates across the country stand up in their defense. Our nations dreamers including over 300,000 in my home state of texas, and 8,000 in my own Congressional District deserve real protections under the law. Todays arguments serve to remind us to recommit to welcoming the dreamers in every day and every way that we can. In congress, we will continue the push the senate to vote on the housepassed dream and promise act. We are a country as yall know with a strong immigrant heritage, and the diversity of our communities strengthens our national fabric. This issue is a personal one to me. I had a grandparent and my grandmother who came to the United States as a young girl. My grandmother came to the United States because both of her parents had died around the time of the mexican revolution, and she and my younger sister, and the closest relatives to take them in were not in mexico, but were in san antonio, texas. I often think when i think about the legal limbo that the dreamers are in today, and i think about my grandmothers story, and how when she came into the United States the documents that allowed her in and there was a line on the document that read something to the effect of purpose of visit and scribbled into the line were the words to live. She was coming here to live. So our dreamers have been here with us for many year, and they have been part of the fabric of the American Society for a long time. Today, i hope that the Supreme Court will recognize that. To the dreamers and the Daca Recipients may god bless you today and everyday, and to the advocates and the attorneys and everybody else, the e ekt willed officials and my colleagues who are here and pushing for so long in their behalf, thank you, and may god bless you. And now i know that he was just going to sit down, and the quickest seat to the podium that you will ever find senator, and this is someone who has been a dreamer and champion of Daca Recipients for a few decades now, and that is senator dick durbin of illinois. Well, it is a treat to be here today. I started the morning with gabby out walking in front of the Supreme Court of all of the young people, and others sitting, standing in the rain, cold, hoping they will get inside to the Supreme Court arguments at 10 00. I will be there and i will listen to every word. This has been a long journey. Joe zogby, where are you . I wanted to give him special credit, because joe zogby and my attorney in the Senate Judiciary committee has been absolutely the leader on this. This administration has been so harsh, hardedge and even cruel when it comes to immigration. No more so than when it comes to the treatment of children. From 2000, from 2,880 childrn taken from the parent, and those families required a federal court to step in. And then the president s decision on december 25th, 2017 to eliminate daca and i reflect on the fact that what president obama told me in the transition meeting with donald trump in the month before the inauguration, he spent an extra hour talking to him about the daca and the dreamers and hoping to convince him that it is the worst thing that he could do, and for the justice of the individual issue and the politics of issue, but clearly he did not succeed. We know that a gathering of Jeff Sessions and steve miller and john kelly and Kirsten Nielsen and who else, i dont know, but they made the decision to eliminate daca and were it not for the courts intervention to stepping in to give those who were protected a chance to renew the status, it would have been a tragedy that would have been multiplied many times over. I dont need to tell you who the daca people, because many of them are seated in the audience, but i can tell you this for sure, i have never been associated with the better group of people in my life. They are solid. They are sincere, they are brave, and they are determined. Their entire life story is a story of battling against the odds. From time they were told as children that they are not the same as the neighbors and the friends at school, and to this day, they have never ever given up. I have cried with them and laughed with them, and we have gone through many experiences together. Today, it is another step on the journey. I have got my fingers crossed and i am saying the prayers this morning that they will be the fifth Supreme Court justice to make the difference. I sincerely believe that we have a chance to win in the Supreme Court, but whatever happens, the Court Decision come this spring, and i assume that is when it is going to be handed down, this battle is not going to be finished until every one of the dreamers has a chance to become part of americas future to earn their citizenship, and to be part of the only country they have ever known, and that is my goal for 19 years since i introduced the dream act, and that is my goal today as well. I said to them through many defeats, and we have had a few along the way, dont give up on us, because we wont give up on you. Thank you for being here this morning morning. All right. Good morning. Greetings of peace to you all. Im maggie and im the director of the Faith Initiative at the center for progress. This is a weighty day as many family members are fighting for the right to stay with their families and communities. I am grateful to be joined by so many friends and allies. We have also representative Julian Garcia here, and faith leaders and civil rights leaders. As we call on the Supreme Court to uphold the rights of the Daca Recipients, those of us who are members of faith also lift up the prayers. I would ask for the faith leaders here today would join me in the front of the room and any members from congress who want to join us in the front of the room in prayer to do so. Here to lead us in the prayer is an associate pastor at the Memorial Church in houston, texas. She was born in mexico and came to the u. S. At the age of 9. She came today to what it means for herself and the community she serves. Welcome, reverend nunez. You can stand there in the front. Good morning, everybody. Right in front. Oh, wow. No pressure. As we begin this gathering and as we talk about the occupation of land, i would like to acknowledge the traditional ancestral territory of the indigenous siblings from which we are learning and living and organizing today. May we continue to recognize those homes that we are standing on and may we bring honor as we are working towards justice. Also, i would like to call upon my ancestors who continue to guide me and strengthen me as we navigate through white spaces. Never in my life did i think that i would be a pastor. However, today, i can stand before you and confirm that this is the exact place that god wants me. It is in my very experience as a marginalized constantly dehumanized undocumented woman that god continues to remind me of my worth of gods creation, and of the power that i hold as such. I am called to speak truth to power. I am called to tend to those who are wounded by the unfair immigration policies that constantly hurt children, babies, grandparents and by tearing the families apart. I am called to speak up even when my heart is racing and my palms are sweaty because peoples lives depend on it. My daughters life depends on it. As a daca pastor, i am often asked, when is god going to step in and bring relief no broken immigration system, and my response is always when you get up and march forward. It is you who brings god into the places where change happens. It is in the middle of the organizing that god picks up a sign and marches forward with us. God is there present. God is here present. Lets not forget that we are not doing this work alone. And when we most feel tired, weary and weak, we come forward and we come to rest in god, recharge and continue pushing forward. Now, would you join in prayer with me. Transcending spirit, we come today tired, burdened but hopeful. We come together today as the resilient and strengthened community. We are here to claim our worth as children of god and as the creation of your very image and as sources of your own energy. We come together today to stand for the justice that you are yearning for. We come together to keep accountable those who have spoken empty promises, and have turned away and forget. We thank you, oh, great one, because we know that you march alongside us when we march. You hurt deeply when we hurt. You continue to manifest when we feel alone. May we continue to fight the good fight. May we continue to draw strength from your ever flowing lifegiving energy as we continue to answer the call to justice and peace. Give us wisdom as we move forward, and bring clarity to our mind, and be present. Sobeit. Amen. Thank you. And now a few words if you want to remain standing from rabbi jason killman who is the director of the jewish action, and offer a reflection of what this day means. Good morning, everyone. This momentous morning is a day of and a moment of uncertainty. Of hope, but also anxiety, of anticipation. So lets take a couple of moments to tap into our gratitude. Our gratitude for our health, for the food that we eat this morning for those who made it possible forer that food to come on to the plates an into o s an bellies. In particular, lets offer gratitude for the documented folks, the families who have stepped through fear, risk, uncertainty and put themselves on the line in leading this fight. Today, lets offer gratitude for the plaintiffs and the families and the attorneys and those inside of the court today and those outside of the court today, for the organizers. We are grateful for your leadership, because you understand that you are not just leading a fight about daca. You are leading a fight for how this country views immigrants and leading a fight for how this country views itself. You are leading a movement for what kind of society and what kind of world we will live in and that our grandchildren and great grandchildren were living. We know that there are some who want to build a society that there is only one way to live, only one way to love, only one way to pray and only one way to think. We know that there some who are working to build a society where only white lives matter. Today is an important moment in a movement with a different vision. That vision says that home is here, that we can build a true multi racial democracy where all are cherish and can thrive. A movement that says that we hold these truths to be selfevident, that all are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights and within these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and to secure the rights. Governments are instituted driving the just powers from the consent of the governed. Today is about seeking justice and while we pray for victory, we know that to truly prevail, we must be in this fight for the long haul, and have each others backs, and we do. Thank you, rabbi. What a blessing it is to be with you all here today. These faith leaders with me here today represent several different faith traditions and denominations, and each of them has worked to elevate the voices of their faith communities in support of Daca Recipients, and they are here again in steadfast solidarity. They represent communities across the country that are praying today for their fellow congregants, classmate, coworkers and family members and themselves. And as we stand together in this room, we know that our catholic brothers and sisters are on a rosary walk outside leading to the rally outside of the Supreme Court, and all of us join our communities in praying that our Supreme Court justices will listen to arguments today, and choose the only possible, just, moral outcome to keep our communities together. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. And so grateful for the prayer that we all just shared together. Im Christina Jimenez and im one of the executive directors and cofounders of united we dream and im grateful for all of the members of congress and c. A. P. And others who have come together to bring us together in this space this morning. Moments like today, we must take note that together we are making history. We are making history today. We can say that our community has been put through unspeakable hardship deportations, i. C. E. And others going off our communities. The future of daca all uncertain. And many, many more attacks that our communities are facing all across the country. But i am reminded today of the work of a woman valerie core who offered up perhaps the pains that we face are not the pains of death, but the pain of childbirth. That there is something new being born today. Do you believe that . Yes. Do you believe that . Something new is being born today. And so as we pray together, let our prayers not just be that the justices do the right thing, but let us also send our prayers and our energies to all of the immigrants that despite the attacks, despite i. C. E. And cbp going after us everyday and despite the uncertainty of daca and despite the cold and the rain, they are showing up today. All of the immigrants and allies who are right now are either waiting to be inside of the Supreme Court or will be rallying outside of the Supreme Court. Let us pray for them, because despite the challenges and the fear, they are showing up. We are showing up. And let us also turn the prayers within. So that the similarly just like the courageous immigrants taking action today that we meet the moment as well. Lets pray that we find that moral clarity inside of us, and to ask ourselves what are we, each of us, doing to be part of giving birth to something new. What are we doing to giving birth to something new . In congress in the halls of the local elected legislators, in our communities, in the courts, to make sure that any role that we hold in the communities that in any institution that we are part of in our society that we are ensuring that immigrants and that all people can live without fear, can thrive, can be free. So lets pray that we find the moral clarity today and lets pray that the justices find that moral clarity as we go through this process. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Im leah prada and im the president of the Governmental Affairs for progress, and so we will introduce someone who has been a longtime champion for the Civil Rights Community and she has led the legislation to protect the dreamers and the tps recipients and coauthor of the American Dream and promise act. She is also the chairwoman of a Small Business community. It is my honor the bring up congresswoman lydia velazquez. Thank you so much. Good morning. Thank you for having me. Thank you, all, for being here, on this historic occasion. In fact, lets pray that they find the moral clarity to define who we are and to protect who we are. Today, we are at a crucial crossroads in our nations history. Today, they will define worries and what is america. America is an idea on what makes america america, immigrants. Lets not forget that. Today, we speak with one collective voice in saying, dreamers are here to stay. For so many young people with daca, the United States is the only home they have ever known. They are americans and in every single way except on paper. Some of them came here so young they do not remember the journey. Many of them speak only english, and their parents brought them here for so many different reasons, but they all came in pursuit of that uniquely american promise, the idea is that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can succeed as an american. Now, with the president s hateful efforts to roll back daca, we face a moment of truth. As a nation, we need to decide how we will define ourselves. Are we a nation that embraces these remarkable young people, the nation that is founded on the inclusiveness and diversity, or are we going to pander to the prese president s Political Base steeped in hate and fear. Well, i for one, i am not going let the president rob our nation of the immigrant heritage. We are not going to let him sacrifice the young dreamers on the altar of cynicism. And so the courts are going to hear the arguments today, and we are all praying at this event and throughout the day for the court to see the wisdom of embracing this young peoplem. We are praying for kindness, and we are praying for compassion. For we are also praying for strength to carry on that fight. Many of you know that i am one of the authors of the American Dream and promise act, and the legislation that will protect these young people from removal and provide them a path to citizenship, regardless of whatt happens in the courts, we have to keep pressing this bill. Because it will provide safe haven for our brothers and sisters in the program. And think of it, these are the immigrants fleeing civil wars, natural disasters and Gang Violence and other hardships. They are mothers with young children. Mothers with young children. Donald trump will deport them. The bible tell us that you shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of egypt. And we are reminded that curse anyone who chose not the widow and the motherless. And so meanwhile, our nation stands at a fork in the road. Will we embrace our heritage as a nation of immigrants . Will we live up to the values of christ . Will we show charity and love, or will we succumb to hatred and fear . I believe in my heart that our nation will choose the path that protects our immigrant brothers and sisters and honors their contributions. That belief is reaffirmed when i look out on all of you and see you are here today. So, lets go forward, united, arms locked together, standing tall with love in our hearts and ready the fight for one another. Thank you, god bless. Thank you, senator velazquez for the powerful remarks. We will now move over to the civil rights portion of the prayer breakfast. I would first like to recognize janet margia, president and ceo of lead us, u. S. Thank you, everyone. I so appreciate the inspiration from the faith leaders today, and also from so many of our champions in congress. Today is the momentous day for the Latino Community and not only is the future of daca at stake, but so is the future of millions of children and young people in this country. So, yes, today is about the law. But today is also about people, young people like our leaders geovanne es ccodera. He came here with three years of college where he was able to work in a restaurant and work towards a Associates Degree and late ear bachelor degree from the university of texas. Today, he is a Young Community leader advocating for better for students just like him. We have heard today that there are nearly 800,000 such dreamers in the country. But do we really fundamentally understand, also, they are parents of 255,000 children who are overwhelmingly u. S. Citizens born in the country . And it highlights one aspect of the report that we released earlier this year which found that there are at least 6 million u. S. Citizen children at risk of losing a parent to deportation. We are keeping hardworking dreamers and americans in all but name in limbo. We are putting their children through trauma and fear of losing a mom and or a dad. Our nation is potentially sa sacrificing the contributions of the full potential of people like geovanne, for what . There is no objective reason or justification for ending the daca program. Every lower court has confirmed it. For whatever measure you take or the standard that you use, daca has been amazingly successful. More than 90 of the dreamers work and nearly half are in school. It is also extremely popular with strong bipartisan support, and support from every sector of society including business, for military, and first responders. It is our hope today that the Supreme Court will see what we see. That ending daca was the cruel, senseless, capricious act of a cruel, senseless and capricious president who continues to refuse to put our countrys interests above his own. Today, lets send a message to the Supreme Court. Collectively, lets do our part, and reaffirm that today we are all dreamers, and we deserve justice. Thank you. Thank you, all, for joining us. We have heard this morning about the civil rights imperative and the broad faith support there is for dreamers and as we look at the court today, we know that this is going to be on full display as janet said that they are the Broad Community that supports the dreamers is on full display and even something as simple as the amigas brief. And so we have been reminded of the moral clarity of the day, and i hope that we will carry it with us throughout the day. As we move on to the next panel, we are going to take a quick break, and in the meantime, i would like to ask all of the civil rights panel, distinguished speakers to join us here to take a seat. Thank you. Thank you, all. We will now continue our program. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Im nura tandem and president of the center for American Progress, and thank you all for attending this event and joining us this morning. I want to thank the faith leaders and others who have made it here this morning and who can be part of this event. We have all come together to speak with a common voice, because we understand that for 825,000 people who have received daca protections in the course of the program, the United States is their home. We know that Daca Recipients pay nearly 9 billion in taxes each year, and employ more than 85,000 people across the country. But more importantly, this is much more than an issue of economics. It is a moral issue that strikes at the very heart of the nation, and value that is compassion, and understanding and a basic sense of decency and fairness. Daca recipients are parents to more than 250,000 children born here. We have all witnessed the agonizing images and sounds of children crying after being ripped from their parents with the inhumane policy of family separation, and we cannot allow another 250,000 children to experience that same kind of anguish if daca is undone. That is what the stakes are, and that is why we will fight, and continue to fight with every ounce of energy we have on behalf of Daca Recipients. We are proud the stand shoulder to shoulder in this site with a host of other progressive groups including the inspiring leaders sitting here with me. And now id like to introduce our panel or our speakers. And first, id like to introduce the leadership president of the civil and human rights and characterize the administrations attacks on the broader civil rights. Then i would like to introduce our panelist from the Naacp Legal Defense Fund which is going to lie at the heart of the administrations attempts to overturn daca and you have heard from janet who is a great Progressive Movement for the community. Thank you for your leadership, and c. A. P. s leadership in pulling this together at a crucial point. And as you said, im president and ceo of the Leadership Conference on civil and human rights and coalition of 220 of the nations civil and human rights organizations working towards an america asideals. I am thankful to be here this morning with champions of jus p justice and members of congress and those fighting to save us for many months of insecurity. In my own life as a daughter of indian immigrants and the wife of a vietnamese refugee, and a civil rights lawyer, i have seen the advancement of laws for equal protection and justice for all. I have seen also how the nations highest officers weaponize the law to spread fear, and to silence communities and to try to tear families apart. Such abuses of power is why we are here this morning. Today, the Supreme Court is going to hear arguments on the validity of the president s decision to end daca, and the program to allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants to call this country home without fear of the safety or their futures. And not so long ago, i was part of the Justice Department that founded this program to be not only legal, but part of the very core fabric of what makes this country so profoundly open to equal opportunity at the best, and part of the promise of the American Dream. But to this president , people have become political pawns, and the safety is a bargaining chip. This is part of the administrationss broader strategy to roll back the civil rights and push policies that harm immigrants and communities of color. We know that every person in america deserves better, and the dreamers deserve better. Year after year, the dreamers have shown us the power of the young people leading a movement for justice. They have shown us what it means to sacrifice and to fight for this country. The only home that many have ever known. Our nations leader should look to their example and marshall the same courage, and hope and integrity that Daca Recipients show everyday. And as the court is preparing to hear the case, the Leadership Conference calls for moral leadership of all branchs of government. Those in power must strongly and powerfully and consistently condemn scapegoating. And we must power down, and have our shared vision of america just as it should be, just, inclusive and fair. That the america that we are deserve and we will defend until we have nothing left in us. This is a defining moment for the country. And it is really about who we are as a country, and about saving the soul of the country and the communities. This is an issue of decency, and we will do what this country has done in the face of fear, mobilize, and litigate and rally in the courts and the streets until we win. There is no community who will fight these fights alone. The Leadership Conference remains united with all of the immigrants and allies in the fight to protect the civil and human rights for all. It is a fight that we will win, and it is why we are here today. Thank you. Lisa. Thank you, nira, and the center for American Progress for hosting this important conference, and also to you, knee nita for your continued cooperation. This is important not only for the daca recipient, but for the leadership of the country. Im the lead of the naacp Legal Defense and policy, and im here for sharon eiffel who was unable to be here today. The Legal Defense is a nonprofit and nonpartisan Law Organization established to assist black people and other people of color in the full, fair and free exercise of the constitutional rights. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of thurgood marshall, we focus on eliminating Racial Discrimination in education, criminal justice, civic participation and economic justice. For nearly 80 years lbf has fought to enforce the constitutional guarantee of equal protection for all persons and specifically with the amicus of any form of discrimination, we have a strong interest in a ensuring that the federal government abide by the fundamental principles related to immigrants. The administrations decision to rescind daca is that it violated the federal procedures act and giving the unexplained about face and which we see as being arbitrary and capricious, but we also see an alternative ground for keeping daca, and that is that the rescission was motivated at least in part by discrimination against immigrants of color, and in particular, the latina heritage who are the overwhelming majority of the Daca Recipients. We have filed a amicus brief based on the Racial Discrimination, and we feel it is fear that Racial Discrimination was a motivation for the decision. First, the fact that the rescission of daca would disproportionately impact latinos and those of mexican herita heritage. Latinos account for 93 of the daca recipient, but equally concerning the president s tweets and statements towards latinos and people of mexican ancestry. He called them drug dealers and criminals and rapists, and the president derided the people who protested at one of his rallies who said they were thugs flying the mexican flag. And the president said that a federal judge of mexican descent could not preside over one of his lawsuit decisions, because he was mexicanamerican. He has also continuously labeled them as criminals and bad hombres. And also, there is widely condemned family separation policies that resulted in thousands of children of tender age, and many of them babies and toddlers being forcefully removed from their parents and held in Detention Centers where the conditions have been described by official observers, and some of the congressional members here as unsanitary, and dangerously overcrowded. That is just a few of the examples. Be e yond tyond the examples, t president has stated a preference of white immigrants when in august of 2016, he said that he would like to go back to the 1924 system, and that is the word in the proponent then senator reid of pennsylvania, a scientific plan for keeping america american, quote, unquote. Which by sharply limiting the nonwhite immigration. The president upon learning that 15,000 haitians and 40,000 nigerians had received visas to enter the United States reportedly exclaimed that haitians all have aids and upon seeing the United States, nigerians would never returned to their huts in africa. At the same meeting, he expre expressed preference for more imgrants from places like norway. These are only a portion of the president s statements express animus towards people of color, and his administration has implemented a variety of policies reflecting that animus, and as stated earlier, the critical importance of this case to Daca Recipients cannot be understated. But it is also critical to democracy, and to what this country means. The administration is asserting that the decision to rescind a program that protects the removal of nearly 700,000 persons brought to the u. S. As children is not subject to judicial scrutiny and even if that rescission is motivated by racial animus. And i wanted to pause there, because that is a breathtaking argument that our government would argue that courts could not review a decision even if it is motivated by racial animus. The administration formally stated that the rescission was motivated by a desire to remove and has formerly stated, and i am sorry, that would mean that the article iii courts could not review the administrations decision even if it stated that decision was based on a desire to remove as many latinos as possible from the country. That is simply not the law. It cannot be the law of this country. Ldf continues to stand with the partners in opposition to this administration and its policies. We will, as danita says to use our full force of policy and advocation and the tools at our disposal to stand with the brothers and sisters with this effort, and we are looking forward to hearing and seeing the results of the court today and hoping they will recognize the importance of this case and uphold our democracy. Thank you. Thank you. Janet. So i know that you spoke, but i wanted to ask you if you have any final thoughts and then i will have a question about the president s position for the panelists. Yeah, i just wanted to say, that i think that it is important for us to establish as civil rights leaders that there is a civil rights frame to this and something that we should be prioritizing. We know that there is human rights, and immigrant rights and from the civil rights that is the foundation, and so from so much of what we consider to be a quality as the basis of our democracy, we can make this case, and we are making this case, you know. For us, i think that we saw the separation of families occurring on the border, and we were outraged as we should have been. By this action, the dreamers who are the parents of 255,000 children would be removed from their children. That universal rejection of separation of families applying on the border most certainly applies when we apply it and look at the lives of the dreamers as parents rooted in communities making contributions everyday and displaying the best, the very best of American Values. We need to uphold our American Values as we look at this case today and that is what we are asking the Supreme Court to do. Thank you. I was going to ask about the president s tweet this morning and then i realized that we should spend less time focusing on him. It is with, we have senator herado here, and we will welcome her to the stage as we exit. Thank you. Thank you. Actually, can you all hear me . Oh, thank you. That is much better. I like to be closer to you all. So thank you very much. How many of you came to new york for the march . Okay. Thank you. And hundreds of you marched, right . Wasnt it something, 16 days. [ applause ] and so home is here. Home is here. And so for all immigrants and i am an immigrant myself, and some of you may know that and home is here. Over the course of my public service, there are three what i call the life lessons that i think it is applicable in all kinds of situations, including this one, and the first is that one person can make a difference. In my case, my mother changed my life by bringing me to this country, but in the case of all of you, all of the daca participants 800,000plus, and the supporters all coming together as you did in the months that you hoped that congress would do the right thing and pass the law that would protect the Daca Recipients, you came en force, and so one person can make a difference and when we work together, that is much more powerful. And second lesson is that half of the battle is showing up. And you are here. It is not just physically, but to show up, because the battles that we think that we have won, whether it is on the womens rights or gay rights, or the environmental or the lgbtq or whatever the battles that we think we have won, they dont stay won, and so we have to keep showing up. That is what you are doing, because you showed up day after day after day and hundreds of you at the capital hoping as i said that we would enact the law that the president says that if you come with me to a bipartisan bill that i will sign it, which is yet another broken promise, because this presidency is littered with broken promises and lies, but that is half of the battle to show up. And we will keep showing up until we provide protections for the Daca Recipients and doing things toward reform. And also, leaving your comfort zone. And for some of us, protesting and marching, it is something that we dont normally do, and it is a time that calls for us to do the things that we believe in and to march and not just to march, because it is important to show the solidarity, but then to do those things such as voter registration, and getting the people out to vote, and so that we can have people here who are truly going to be committed to human rights, and environmental rights, and Climate Change, and we believe in Climate Change as if it is a religion and not a science, and all of the things that remains to be seen and there is a lot. This is a very divided country, and this is not normal times, and all of us have to do that which i think is more than we usually do, and so i wanted to thank you for your commitment. Yesterday was a really important day because the case is before the Supreme Court. Just one of many cases that the Supreme Court is going to get to decide, not just relating to immigration but on womens rights, health care, you name it, all the things that people in our country care about could be decided very negatively by the Supreme Court. I tried to get on to the, you know, to get into the hearing, but it must be very crowded. Lots of interest. Mahalo to each and every one of you. I will keep fighting and staying the course because i know who im fighting for, just as you do and white. I would like to introduce i think there are three people here who were on the march. I want to introduce them. Jungwu kim. Yay. Chris larson. Chris larson. All right. And marcie suarez. Marcie . Oh, okay. I hope everythings okay. Are you guys going to come up and share some experiences . Home is here march participants. Yay. All right. Mahalo. Mahalo. This was an incredible march, but i really want to acknowledge two other people that are in our audience who made a huge impact on the march. Christian, please stand up. Christian, please stand up. Christian was very pivotal in the safety of the marchers along the way, and one of the most individuals that touched my heart was the mothers that marched because the mothers were there fighting for their children as they brought their children here to this country for better lives, theyre still fighting for better lives. So karolina, please stand up. We greatly appreciate it. One of the things we want to keep in mind is that this country has fought since the early ages. They fought for separation from england. And who were those people who fought . They were immigrants. If we look at all of us, were all from immigrants, so what is the difference now of immigrants now versus then . Were still fighting for equal rights. Were still fighting for our citizenship. This is something that we strongly believe in, is citizenship for all, because we all came to this country for a better life. Were not going to sit down and just and just let people dictate whats going to happen to us. We all need to stand together to make sure that everybody has equal rights, everybody has citizenship. Thank you. Hello. Hello, my name is jungwu kim. Im a daca recipient and one of the marchers for the march. Woohoo. I really want to shout out to all the marchers. Yeah, we marched 18 days, about 230 miles from new york to d. C. Yes, it was fun. So we marched not only for in the name of justice, we marched to build a community of love, community of, like, compassion, community of caring, sharing. I think thats what we need the most. Not only just our political agenda. I think we need more love and compassion, right . So thats why we build up during the march and all the marchers out there waiting for us to meet, gather up to the Supreme Court. And i want to say just one thing very clear. We want to defend daca, but even if we defend it, i dont want to leave my life every two years to prove to the system that i exist. Im worth to be here. I dont want to go through that stage every two years, pay 495 to do that. So i want Permanent Solutions that all 800,000 and 11 million undocumented immigrants to stay and have a better life and deserve basic human rights, which is citizenship for all. And one thing also, if the justices decide, okay, daca is illegal, i can be deported any time. That means i can be separated from my family, my loved ones, my sister, my friends, and so i want to close the camp, right . No more Detention Center and abolish i. C. E. Right here right now. Thank you and lets march. So so at this time i know i know a lot of people have busy schedules, but its a really short march. Its across the street to the Supreme Court, so i hope you join us and senator hirono. Lets show force and lets everybody get up and march over to the courthouse. Thank you. This afternoon here on cspan 2, the House Oversight and Reform Committee holds a hearing on how some states are restricting reproductive rights and Reproductive Health care services. Live coverage begins at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan 2. But if you want watch on tv, youll find it online at cspan. Org or listen live on the free cspan radio app. The House Intelligence Committee and chair adam schiff continue impeachment inquiry hearings on friday at 9 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan 2. With testimony by former u. S. Ambassador to ukraine marie yovanovitch. Find the procedures for the hearing and the questions the committee hopes to have answered at our went, cspan. Org impeachment and watch our live coverage on cspan 2, cspan. Org on your computer or mobile device or listen live wherever you are with the free cspan radio app. Saturday at 10 30 a. M. Eastern on American History tv, authors explore the role of men in the womens suffrage movement. They marched as a group of 89 men in top hots and bowlers in the Second Annual suffrage parade in new york in may 1911, where they are pilloried and mocked and just, you know, every sort of insult is hurled, and they embrace this. It galvanizes them. And from then they are no longer just offering their names, they are really ready for work. And at 2 00, Pulitzer Prize winning photographer David Hume Kennerly on his over 50year career in photography. He said after the Monica Lewinsky business, i dont think there is any fancy way to say that i have sinned. Some of the writing in newsweek i love having print on my photos. Some photographers say this destroys them. I dont think so. All of a sudden you have the context. Sunday at 4 00 p. M. Eastern on real america, the 19 69 film apollo 12 pinpoint for science. I dont know what happened here. We had everything in the world drop out. Im not sure if we were hit by lightning. Fuel cell lights, fuel cell disconnect, overload one and two. Main bus a and b out. And at 8 00 on the presidency, a look at the work of Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist from the university of virginia, which has just acquired his cartoon collection. Explore our nations past on American History tv every weekend on cspan3. This weekend, book tv will feature three new nonfiction books. Saturday night at 11 00 p. M. Eastern, donald trump jr. Talks about his new book triggered. And sunday night at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on talks about her book when should law forgive . Shed interviewed by georgetown law professor paul butler. We are so punitive, even people who serve their sentences have collateral consequences of their crimes. Not allowed to vote in many places. Not allowed to have a profession al professional license. Not allowed to keep their children. Not to get housing in many cases. Enough is enough. We should find ways to acknowledge forgiveness. We are imperfect as human beings. At 10 00 p. M. Eastern, former u. N. Ambassador nikki haley with her new book with all due respect. Watch book tv every weekend on cspan2. Sunday night on q a, pamela cons stabtable talks abor experiences covering the region. Sometimes people will say things very critical of the United States or the west, you know, that is more common than somebody saying something offensive about being a woman or causing problems. I mean, people tend to be generally speaking, im speaking very broadly now. More helpful to a woman than to a man. They can also try to take advantage of you in various ways, but generally my experience has been that if theyre not going to like something about you or not going to mistrust something about you, it the not going to be because youre a woman, its going to be because youre an american. Watch sunday night at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspans q a. And live now on capitol hill, the House Oversight and Reform Committee is about to hold a hearing on how some states are restricting reproductive rights and health care services. Hearing from witnesses representing patients, providers and advocaciy groups. Youre watching live coverage on cspan3