Shock: Dreamers Turn on Pelosi in San Francisco

Illegal immigrant activists calling themselves the Immigrant Liberation Movement took over House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s press conference in San Francisco on Monday, demanding a “clean” immigration bill that legalizes all 11 million illegal immigrants now in the U.S., and demanding an end to all immigration enforcement.

Using “call and response,” the group began, with one woman shouting out, and the rest echoing as they all walked to the front of the room, hijacking the event, announcing that they were “undocumented and unafraid.”

“We demand to be heard. Let us speak. We, undocumented youth, demand a clean bill that protects immigrant youth without hurting our families … We undocumented youth will not be a bargaining chip for Trump,” they shouted in unison.

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They went on, chanting that they were demanding “demilitarization” of the border and demanding that Pelosi fight for all 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., saying they would stand there until Pelosi listened.

One caller cited Pelosi’s meeting with President Donald Trump last week, and called for an end to all deportations, saying they’d watched for eight years as Democrats did little to stop raids on their communities that led to the deportation of 3 million people.

“We are listening. Do you want answers?” Pelosi said, holding on tightly to the microphone and not relinquishing the podium, though she was almost completely blocked, physically, by the protesters and their signs.

They went on chanting, saying: “For eight years we have demanded to meet with your office, and you have turned your back on us … Will you stand with us? Will you not fund detention beds? Do you commit right now before the nation that you will not fund [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]? That you will not fund the border?”

“Do you want to hear an answer, or do you just want to shout?” Pelosi managed to say into the microphone during a half-second pause in chanting.

“All 11 million, all 11 million,” the protesters shouted, ignoring the congresswoman, who supports the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for all those now in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and most other illegal aliens in the U.S. who first came to the U.S. before the age of 18.

At one point Pelosi could be heard asking whether the activists don’t support the DREAM Act, seeming incredulous.

“Yes or no, yes or no?” the activists shouted.

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“To what?” asked Pelosi.

“The 11 million,” one person said.

“Of course,” she answered.

They then broke into a chant of “This is what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like.”

“OK, do you want answers?” said Pelosi again.

The activists broke into “Shut down ICE. Shut down ICE. Shut down ICE.”

The protest continued for more than 25 minutes, and despite Pelosi’s attempts to defuse it, the activists began to shout louder, some with raised fists, yelling at Pelosi: “You are a liar” and accusing her of being unwilling to help their parents.

Pelosi and the so-called dreamers who were participating in the event with her to promote the DREAM Act never did regain the floor, and Pelosi finally left with her staff. The event ended with an announcer saying that the event was over and that people needed to leave.

The activists paid no attention, however, shouting, “No borders, no nations. Stop deportations,” and “Not one more, not one more.”

The shocking incident was captured by KCRA Channel 3, and by several other news outlets, which had come to cover Pelosi’s event promoting the DREAM Act.

(photo credit, homepage image of protest: Molly Adams, Flickr; photo credit, article images: Molly Adams, Flickr / Medill DC, Flickr)