The ‘Dreamers’: They anger the GOP and power Democratic campaigns

*A big part of the energy of recent Latino political activism is coming from the DREAMers. Their initial focus was immigration and little else, but now they’re branching into electoral politics and the issues and work that surround a political campaign. Regardless of their resident status many of them are involved, and that’s a very good thing. VL

By Kate Linthicum, The Los Angeles Times

Immigrants lacking legal status are increasingly involved in this year’s presidential race, working as volunteers, campaign advisors and, in some cases, as paid staffers for Sanders and his Democratic rivals, Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley.

While illegal immigration has stirred anger on the Republican side, with GOPfront-runner Donald Trump calling for mass deportations, Democrats are leaning the other way, with all three candidates pledging to do more than President Obama has done to curb deportations.

Sanders and Clinton have assigned key Latino outreach efforts to young “Dreamer” activists who were brought to the country illegally as children. Clinton’s campaign has organized teams of mothers in the country illegally to operate phone banks on her behalf.

O’Malley has touted endorsements from immigrants in the country illegally in important primary states such as Iowa. He has met frequently with such immigrants on the campaign trail and recently held a defiant rally outside a jail operated by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an immigration hard-liner in Arizona.

Click  HERE to read the full story.