Obama Wins Election and Latino Voters and Dreamers Are Ready to Cash the Check for the DREAM Act

President Obama unquestionably owes this historic victory to 71% of the Latino vote and the support this community has on the DREAM Act. His most recent decision to give undocumented youth a way to work in the United States through Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) unquestionably motivated Latinos to vote for him. In addition, for the past eleven months undocumented youth have been exposing the extreme position of Mitt Romney on immigration, including his threat to veto the DREAM Act. Today’s election result shows that being against the DREAM Act and immigration is no longer good politics for the Republican Party if they plan to win the Latino vote in the future.

On the heels of the Yo Decido cover of TIME, Mitt Romney and the Republican Party will mull over their future and policies during their concession speeches. The Republican Party has paid the price for bowing to the more extreme factions of its Tea Party base, especially on immigration.

During his campaign, Romney was protested against and confronted by DREAMers, who, over the past few years, have organized and become very influential in the Latino community.  He ignored DREAMers, or told them that they simply had a “difference of opinion” on the DREAM Act to those facing deportation.  The DREAMers refused to quietly self-deport, however, and instead organized the “Veto Romney, Not the DREAM Act” campaign against his anti-immigrant stance.

“We demonstrated to the Republican party that the DREAM Act and a humane treatment for our family are priorities for the Latino community. The “self deport” rhetoric will no longer be tolerated. Now it’s time to hold Congress and the President accountable to work across parties for a permanent and sensible immigration solution” said Erika Andiola who is a Dreamer and National advocate for the DREAM Act and immigrant rights.

A record number of Latinos in Nevada, Colorado, Ohio, Arizona, Florida and Virginia came out against Mitt Romney. The Latino Decisions polls indicate that nationwide and in battleground states Obama won Latino voter support over Romney by historic margins –  72 percent to 23 percent nationwide, including: in Colorado, Obama won Latino voters by 87 percent-10 percent margin; in New Mexico, by a 77 percent-21 percent margin; in Nevada, by an 80 percent-17 percent margin; in Ohio, by an 82 percent-17 percent margin; in Virginia, by a 66 percent-31 percent margin; and in Florida, by a 58 percent-40 percent margin.

Strategist will continue to dissect the elections for weeks to come, but what is clear is that the American people, including the Latino community, finally want a solution to our immigration system and for both parties to come together.

DRM Action Coalition is a strong voice committed to the fight for the DREAM Act and the rights of undocumented youth. We are the policy and lobbying arm of the DREAM movement and for those who passionately support the DREAM Act.

Published in HS News Network