The Democratic party continued its aggressive push to appeal to Hispanic voters at its summer meeting in Minneapolis on Friday by inviting a DREAMer to lead the confab in the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz introduced Karen Guadalupe Velez-Barron, who was brought to the U.S. by her parents from Mexico when she was three years old. She was granted amnesty under President Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order.
Democrats have steadily increased calls for comprehensive immigration reform. Early speakers at Friday’s event focused heavily on the cause, differentiating the party from Republicans who generally oppose amnesty.
Hillary Clinton, who is slated to speak at the DNC meeting on Friday, has proposed expanding on the Obama administration’s liberal immigration policies.
“We are the party that stands with students like the beautiful young woman who delivered our Pledge of Allegiance this morning,” Wasserman Schultz said.
“Karen is a DREAMer who like so many of her brothers and sisters seeks stability, a quality education and access to the American Dream. And we will, as a party, make sure that she and her sisters and brothers are not denied access to that American Dream.”
