By Sonali Kolhatkar

Originally published on Truthdig.com

Thirty-four undocumented immigrants were detained at the Texas-Mexico border on Sept. 30. That fact by itself is unremarkable—thousands of immigrants are held in detention in the U.S. at any given time. What set this particular group of immigrants apart is that they showed up on the Mexico side of the border and openly proclaimed their desire to re-enter a country they consider home, without papers. By attempting to cross into the U.S. as part of a concerted campaign, they are forcing the U.S. immigration system to confront their humanity and create pathways for legalization.

This bold action, organized by the National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA) under the banner of #BringThemHome, is the second chapter of a radical new way to draw attention to the struggles of undocumented immigrants—in particular young people who call themselves DREAM activists after the proposed DREAM Act. These youth were raised in the U.S. and most have graduated from high school or college, but now have few opportunities for a future because of their undocumented status.

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