Next, lawmakers and civil rights advocates look at the importance of the deferred action for Childhood Arrivals Program examining Supreme Court case and whether the president s decision to end the program is constitutional. This is hosted by the center for American Progress. [inaudible conversations] good morning, everyone. Good morning. Hello, everyone. I am the director of the center for American Progress. We are pleased you could join us this morning and welcome to a daca interface and prayer breakfast. I hope you will have a chance to get breakfast. We are at capacity. Please grab a chair beside the wall. First, to open up our program i want to welcome the fearless and strong and brave champion who has been carrying the congressional caucus and representing texas and has been a steadfast champion of immigrants whether they be dreamers, asylumseekers, you can find today he will be joining Daca Recipients in the court as well. I want everyone to give a round of applause to joaquin castro. Thank you. Good morning, everybody. I want to thank you for being here on a momentous occasion as we stand in support of Daca Recipients across the nation. I am proud chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and represent the great city of san antonio, texas, to the United States congress. I want to thank and recognize all the Daca Recipients, the dreamers. [applause] the plaintiff and attorneys that are here today working so hard in arguing that, thank you for your work. [applause] and of course we take our flight to the Supreme Court and we believe and hope the Supreme Court will recognize Daca Recipients and dreamers are just as american as anyone else. I would like to acknowledge the ambassador, martha, former director leon rodriguez and dream. Us founder don graham with us this morning. [applause] you know this but i will mention it anyway because there are some folks who dont always recognize it. Dreamers are valuable contribute in members of our communities and valuable contributors to the United States economy. They are neighbors, friends and colleagues. They strengthen our community and our country and it is inexcusable that donald trump is forcing dreamers into legal limbo by trying to cancel the daca program. Knowing the Supreme Court will shortly hear this case is only cemented in my mind how cool the administration act, pushing deportation over keeping dreamers in the United States. For the last two years the Trump Administration has attacked dreamers by trying to rollback immigration protections and putting them at risk of 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. While we must wait until next year to hear the final decision from the Supreme Court, today is an important beginning. Today the brave Daca Recipients, their attorneys, elected officials and advocates across the country stand up in their defense. Our nations dreamers, including 300,000 in my home state of texas, and 8000 in my own congressional district, deserve real protections under the law. This reminds us all to recommit every day and in every way that we possibly can. In congress we will fight by continuing to push the senate to vote on the house past dream and promise act. We are a country with a strong immigrant heritage, and the diversity strengthens our national fabric. This is a personal one. As i had a grandparent, my grandmother was a young girl, my grandmother came to the United States because both her parents had died around the time of the mexican revolution and she and her younger sister, the closest relatives that could take them in were not in mexico but san antonio, texas. I often think when i think about the legal limbo dreamers are in today, i think about my grandmothers story when she came to the United States the documents that allowed her in, there was a line on the document that read something to the effect of purpose of visit and scribbled into that line were the words to live. She was coming here to live. Our dreamers have been with us for many years. Today i hope the Supreme Court will recognize that. May god bless you today and every day, advocates and attorneys and everybody else, elected officials who have been pushing for so long on their behalf, thank you and god bless you. [applause] i know he was just going to sit down. The quickest seat to the podium you will ever find. I want to introduce somebody who has been a grand champion. Dreamers of Daca Recipients for a few decades now, senator dick durbin of illinois. [applause] it is a treat to be here today. I started the morning walking in front of the Supreme Court. All the young people and other sitting, standing in the ring, hoping they are going to get inside the Supreme Court argument at 10 00. I will be there, listening to the report. Where are you . I want to give special credit, joe saki, my attorney has absolutely been the leader on this. This administration has been so harsh, hardedged and even cruel and no more so than when it comes to the treatment of children. And infant toddlers and children taken away from their parents at the border. The reunification of those families require federal court to step down and the president s decision on september 5, 2017, to eliminate daca. When i think about what it meant, i reflect on the fact that president obama told me in his transition meeting with donald trump in the white house and the december before that, he spent an extra hour talking about daca, hoping to convince him it would be the worst thing he could do. For the Justice Administration and even the politics of the situation but clearly didnt succeed. Gathering of jeff sessions, steve miller, john kelly and Kirsten Nielsen and who else i dont know. If not for the courts intervention stepping in and giving those who were protected a chance to renew their status, would have been a tragedy that multiplied many times over. I dont need to tell you who the daca people are. Many are seated in the audience but i have never been associated with a better group of people in my life. They are solid, sincere, brave, determines. Their entire lifes story is a story of battling against the odds from the time they were told as children they were not the same as neighbors and friends at school. They are never given up. I cried with them and laughed with them and gone through many experiences together. Ive got my fingers crossed this morning that they will be that fifth Supreme Court justice that will make the difference. I sincerely believe we have a chance to win in the Supreme Court but whatever happens, the Court Decision come the spring, this battle will not be finished until every one of these dreamers becomes part of americas future, to be part of the only country they have ever known. That has been my goal for 19 years since introducing the dream act. I said to them through many defeats and few along the way, dont give up on us because we will never give up on you. [applause] greetings, peace to you all. I am the director of the Faith Initiative at the center for American Progress. This is a weighty day as thousands of our neighbors, friends and family members fight for their lawful right to stay with families and communities. Im grateful we are joined by so many friends and allies, we have representative garcia here as well, and faith leaders and civil rights leaders. As we call on the Supreme Court to uphold the rights of Daca Recipients those of us who are faithful of faith also lift up our prayers. I would like to ask of faith leaders can join me in front of the room. I invite any members of congress who wish to join us to do so as well. To lead us in prayer is an associate pastor at Bering Memorial United Methodist Church in houston, texas. Representative nunez is a daca recipient, she was born in mexico and came to the us at the age of 9. What it means for herself and the community she serves, welcome. Good morning, everybody. No pressure. As we begin this gathering we talk about the occupation of land. I would like to acknowledge the traditional, ancestral territory over indigenous which we are learning and organizing today. May we continue to recognize those homes we are standing on and bring honor as we work towards justice and call upon my ancestors who guide me and strengthen me as i navigate white spaces. Never in my life that i think i would be a pastor. However, today, i can stand before you and confirm that this is where god wants me. It is my very experience as a marginalized dehumanize documented woman that god continues to remind me of my worth as gods creation and the power i hold as such. I am called to speak truth to power and attend to those wounded by the unfair immigration policies that constantly hurt children, babies, grandparents, tearing family 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 documented pastor i often get asked when will god step in and bring relief to those suffering under an unfair and broken immigration system . My response is always when you get up and march forward. It is you who bring scott into places where change happens. It is in our organizing that god picks up and moves at to march forward with us. God is there president. Got here, present. Lets not forget we are not doing this work alone and when we feel tired, weary and weak, we come forward, to reach hard and continue pushing forward. Would you join in prayer with me . Transcending spirit, we come today tired, burdened and hopeful. We come together as resilient and strengthened community. Where here to claim our worth as children of god, as creation of your very image and as sources of your own energy. We come together today to stand for the justice you are yearning for. We come together to keep accountable those who have spoken empty promises, to turn away and forget. We thank you, oh great one, we know you walk beside us as we march, you hurt deeply when we hurt and you continue to manifest when we feel alone. May we continue to fight the good fight, 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, bring clarity to our mind, be present. So be it. Amen. Thank you. Now i will have a few words if you want to remain standing, the washington director of jewish action, offer a short reflection on what this may mean. Good morning, everyone. This momentous morning is a day or a moment of uncertainty. Of hope but also anxiety. Of anticipation, lets take a couple 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 for that to come onto our plates and our bellies. In particular, lets offer gratitude for the documented folks, families who have stepped in fear, risk, uncertainty and put themselves on the line in leading this fight. And those who are inside or outside the court today. For the organizers. We are grateful for your leadership because you understand 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 our grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are living. Some want to build a society when theres only one way to live, only one way to love, only one way to pray and one way to think. We know there are some working to build a society where only white lives matter. Today is an important moment in a movement that has a different vision. That vision says home is here. And and they are in doubt by their creator. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and securities rights, governments are instituted driving there just powers from the consent of the governed. Today is about seeking justice and while we pray for victory we know to truly prevail we must be in this fight for the long haul and have each others backs and we do. [applause] what a blessing it is to be here today. These faith leaders with me today represent several distant faith traditions and denominations. They work to elevate voices of their faith communities in support of Daca Recipients and are here again today in the steadfast solidarity. They represent communities across the country that are praying today for their fellow congregants, classmates, coworkers, family members and themselves. As we stand together in this room, our catholic brothers and sisters are on a rosary walk outside the Supreme Court. All of us join our communities in praying that our Supreme Court justices will listen closely to the arguments shared today and choose the only possible just and moral outcome to keep our communities together, thank you. [applause] good morning, everyone. Good morning. So grateful for the prayer we just all shared together. My name is christina jimenez. Im executive director and one of the cofounders of united trained and im grateful to members of congress who have come together to bring us into this space tomorrow 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, deportation, ice and cdp agents going after our communities, the future of daca, the future of tps, all uncertain. And many many more attacks our communities are facing across the country. I am reminded today of the words of a woman, valerie cork, who offered perhaps, the pain we face are not the face of death. But the pain of childbirth. That there is something new being born today. Do you believe that . Do you believe that . Is something new is being born today. As we pray together, let our prayers not just be the justices do the right thing, but let us also say in our prayers and energies to all the immigrants that despite the attacks, going after us, despite the uncertainty of daca, and despite the cold and rain are showing up today. All the immigrants and allies who right now, are waiting to be inside the Supreme Court, or will be rallying outside the Supreme Court. Let us pray for them. Despite the challenges and fear, they are showing up. We are showing up. Let us turn our prayers within so that similarly just like courageous immigrants that are taking action today that we need the moment as well. Lets pray that we find our moral clarity inside of us. And ask ourselves, what are we, each of us, doing, to be part of giving birth to something new. What are we doing, to give birth to something new. In congress, in the halls of our local elected legislatures, in our communities, in the courts, to make sure any role that we hold in our communities, in any institution that we are part of in our society, that we are insuring immigrants and old people can live without fear to thrive, to be free. So lets pray that we find the moral clarity today and lets pray justices find that clarity as we go through this process. [applause] good morning, everyone. I am the director of the center for American Progress. We will now introduce someone who has been a longtime champion of the immigrants rights community, she has led legislation to protect dreamers and tps, she is one of the coauthors of hr 6, the American Dream and promise act, shes also the chairwoman of the Small Business community and it is my honor to bring up congresswoman barack us. [applause] thank you so much and 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 of our nation and history. Today they will define what is american. America is an idea. What makes America America are immigrants. Lets not forget that. Today we speak with one collective voice in saying dreamers are here to say. For so many young people with daca status the United States is the only home they have ever known. They are american in every single way except on paper. Some of them can hear when they were so young they do not remember a journey. Many of them speak only english. Their parents brought them here for so many Different Reasons but they all came in pursuit of that uniquely american promise. The idea that if you work hard and play by the rules you can succeed as an american. Now with the president has hateful effort to rollback 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, a nation that is founded on inclusiveness and diverse city or are we going to pander to the present Political Base with policies steeped in hate and fear. I for one am not going to let the president rob our nation of its immigrant heritage. We are not going to let him sacrifice these young dreamers on the altar of political cyni