Dozens of protesters gathered at Rep. Mark Amodei's Reno office Friday morning. They are demanding that he and his fellow congressmen pass a law that will replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA allows some undocumented immigrants who came the the United States as children to stay, if they fulfill certain qualifications. President Donald Trump will let the program expire in March unless congress can reach an agreement.
"None of us had the choice to come here," Isaac Contreras said. "We were brought here by our parents."
Contreras, 20, came to the U.S. when he was five years old and is a DACA recipient.
"If I didn't have DACA, I wouldn't be able to maintain a job;Â I wouldn't be able to continue my higher education because I wouldn't have a job to pay for my tuition," Contreras said.
Jose Picelo, 25, came to American when he was 12 years old. He says this is the only home he has ever known.
"I have a career, my family, everything that I know and that I care about is here," Picelo said.
Some of them entered the building and hung a banner across his door. When someone from a neighboring business complained, they were told to leave. Two women refused and Reno Police Officers cited them for trespassing.
"We don't want to get involved in these things," Lt. Joe Robinson, RPD said. "We respect everybody's right to freedom of speech, but when it disrupts other people and they're willing to sign criminal complaints, that's when we're forced to get involved."
The group originally had a meeting with Amodei, but the congressman canceled because his office is closed in observance of Nevada Day.
"When he found out how many people were coming, he cowered, he chickened out, he fled, he canceled our meeting with us," Contreras said.
Ironically, Amodei attended a naturalization ceremony at the state capitol Friday afternoon, where 40 people from 12 countries took the Oath of Allegiance. He says he is willing to meet with the protesters another time or possibly hold a town hall meeting.
"What we told them was, 'Hey listen. We're sorry. We'll reschedule you.' So, it's not like they're not going to get their chance," Amodei, R-Nevada said.
Amodei says he wants to see the Dream Act come to a vote within 60 days. Immigration has been an issue for decades, and he says it is time to act.
"If I get a chance to vote for the Dream Act before the end of the year and there's nothing else that my leadership's put up, then I'm going to support it," Amodei said. "We've been in discussions with the Speaker's people this week, with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in a true bipartisan discussion and that's the way policy ought to be made and that's how we'll continue to approach it."
It is the duty of Congress to regulate a system of naturalization. Amodei says it hasn't been doing that.
"I have said publicly, shame on us for not doing it," Amodei said. "It's time to do it. I have no appetite to wait until March and see if something happens."
That is what Contreras and Picelo are hoping for, too.
"We just want an opportunity to continue with our life," Picelo said. "That's all we want."
