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One_liners

_Working with SBCC, Border Dreamers took over The Guardian this week for a special project called “We’re Here to Stay”, in which they wrote, commissioned, or edited more than a dozen powerful stories in support of the Dream Act.

_Last week, several SBCC members got arrested in DC while supporting Dreamers, and this week we are back in DC to continue to push for a Dream Act.

_The National Butterfly Center sued the Trump administration over the border wall, one of many environmental lawsuits expected if plans move forward.

Must reads

_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. So, how would you feel if someone demanded you buy something you not only didn’t want or need, but would hurt you? And what if the only reason they want you to buy it is because they promised someone else you would buy it. That’s the border wall situation. Despite asking for $1.6 billion for 74 miles of wall along the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and San Diego, California, the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t really want a full border wall and seems to prefer a barrier comprised of a wish-list trove of technological gadgets. But Trump seems so singularly obsessed with a wall, he is suggesting cuts for techy gadgets and no raises for DHS staff.

_Walled In. To understand the true nefariousness of the border wall, read this article, co-published by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune, that illustrates the history of when the wall was just a spark in someone’s eye to today, where it is on the verge of bisecting a continent. “I take pride in the words Ich bin ein Berliner”_John F. Kennedy

_I know why the walled bird sings. Unbelievably, Border Patrol is saying that if the wall gets funded per the DHS FY2018 request, the first place it will go is in the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge on the Texas border with Mexico and they are claiming that everyone is okay with this. We are not! The Administration and Congress must carefully consider the devastating environmental and economic effects a wall will have before they build it. Anywhere. Period.

_Walls kill people. When the U.S. government started building fences on the U.S.-Mexico border, migrant deaths skyrocketed because it forced people to cross in riskier and remote places. Walls will only make this worse. USA Today counted the number of migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border and found that Border Patrol underestimates these deaths, revealing an enormous human tragedy in our borderlands.

_What do we want? Accountability and oversight. When do we want it? Now! Our director, Christian Ramirez, couldn’t be any clearer in this OpEd in The Hill about what we want and don’t want to see in a Dream Act. Top three things we don’t want: (1) anymore Border Patrol agents, (2) any more wall, and (3) or any more the waiving of our rights. And, if they’re really planning to tack on things, the top three things we want are: (1) more investigative agents in oversight and accountability (e.g., internal affairs and inspector general personnel), (2) body worn cameras with strong privacy protections, and (3) a reduced zone for Border Patrol activities (like, way closer to the actual border). This is just good governance.

_Every day is a day of action. Join the national call-in day to urge congressional members to pass a clean Dream Act by the end of the year on Tuesday, Dec. 19, or any other day for that matter. We put together this action guide to help you get involved, whether by phone on social media or in person. You can skip this call if by some crazy chance, they got their act together and manage to pass the Dream Act by Tuesday. That would be a nice problem to have.