Several dozen young immigrants shouted down San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, on Monday during an event in San Francisco, following her recent conversations with President Trump over the future of a program that grants many of them legal status.
"We are immigrant youth, undocumented and unafraid," they shouted as they overtook an event Pelosi was holding to encourage passing legislation that would give many young immigrants legal status.
But, the young protesters said they weren’t there for themselves, but instead for undocumented immigrants that wouldn't be protected under Pelosi's legislation.
“They expect us to sell out our parents and expect us to support their bills,” said Edson Arroyo De Jesus, an undocumented 19-year-old protester. “Often time these bills and these laws that they pass don’t protect any of our family members, our community members, our friends.”
After smiling and occasionally trying to speak through much of the protest, an aggravated Pelosi told the protesters to "just stop it, now," shortly before she was led out of the room.
She was appearing with Democratic U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee and Jared Huffman at College Track San Francisco, a program to expand college access. She was scheduled to appear Monday afternoon in Sacramento for a similar event.
The protests appeared aimed at Pelosi's recent engagement with Trump on the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The program gives temporary legal protections to immigrants, often called Dreamers, brought to the United States illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas.
But many protesters said that Pelosi is using Dreamers for her own political gain.
“They’re tokenized,” said undocumented protester Naomi Torres Caripia about the Pelosi’s focus Dreamers. “They are essentially props to her movement and for her to get the Latino vote."
Last week, Pelosi and Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer met with Trump twice and discussed a deal to extend the program. Schumer and Pelosi said they reached a deal with the White House that did not include funding for Trump's promised border wall. But the White House and Congressional Republicans say nothing is finalized. Trump said in early September he will end DACA in six months if Congress does not act to continue it.
"Democrats created an out-of-control deportation machine," the protesters yelled. "Democrats are not the resistance to Trump." They carried a banner which read, "Fight 4 All 11 Million" in reference to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.
“We’re here for our family,” Torres Capria said. “We’re here to let them know that this fight is not just for Dreamers. This fight is for [all] 11 million [undocumented immigrants].”
"You've had your say, and it's beautiful," Pelosi told the demonstrators at one point. But the shouting did not stop.
Even after everyone was ordered to leave the building, the protest continued outside on the sidewalk until many of demonstrators lost their voice after more than an hour of chanting. Many passing cars honked their horns in solidarity with the young people.
Pelosi told The Associated Press last Friday in an interview that she and Schumer are looking for ways to "build some trust and confidence" with Trump. She says it does not matter whether or not she and Trump like each other.
"Right now, I want him to like the Dreamers," she said, using the nickname for young immigrants in the deferred action program.
Trump has said he wants to protect those immigrants, despite his decision to wind down the program.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
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