DACA Recipients Block Disneyland Entrance In Protest

Those protesting to keep DACA, and those benefitting from it, temporarily blocked a vehicle entrance into Disneyland  Monday, just as the government reached an agreement to end the government shutdown brought about by debates over the future of DACA.

Dreamers, those benefitting from DACA, stood in a crosswalk at South Harbor Boulevard early in the morning, blocking buses full of patrons from entering the park located in Anaheim, California. There were no more than 15 protestors present and they were quickly removed from the street by local law enforcement and relocated to the nearby sidewalk, where they held signs that read, “No dream! No deal!”

By 10:40 a.m., the protesters had left the area.

“The group is only about 20 people, who have been peaceful. Disneyland is operating as normal today,” Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in an email.

The government shutdown began Saturday morning, when Democrats and a few Republicans intentionally didn’t reach a budget agreement before the deadline over debated around immigration.

Democrats desperately wanted to protect the Dreamers from deportation, while Republicans were looking to deport the group of illegal immigrants.

There is an estimated 800,000 Dreamers in the U.S. currently and their future in this country is uncertain.

An agreement was reached to end the government shutdown Monday morning, and the two sides agreed to debate the issue before next deadline.

The #OurDream coalition was the group responsible for the protest in front of Disneyland and they claim it was to put pressure on legislators to keep DACA. They said they were tired of “unfulfilled promises” by legislators to settle the matter.

Barbara Hernandez, a 26-year-old DACA recipient from Santa Ana, said protesting in front of Disneyland was symbolic.

“It’s where dreams come true,” she said. “But we’re not on vacation anymore. We’re still waiting for our dreams to come true.”