Members of immigration-advocacy groups marched 30 miles from Chapel Hill to Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office Saturday. Activists protested Cooper’s continued silence regarding the issue of immigrants without documentation and their rights to in-state tuition in North Carolina.
About 40 people participated in the “March of Broken Dreams,” according to Jose Rico Benavides, a student at Durham Technical Community College, and an organizer of N.C. DREAM Team, one of the advocacy groups that participated in the march.
The March began at about 7 a.m., and protestors arrived at Cooper’s office at about 4 p.m., where the funeral was held.
Protesters began the 30-mile march at the U.S. Postal Office on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, making stops at a small shop in Durham and at the intersection of Varnell Avenue and Glenwood Avenue, where they gathered more supporters before arriving at Cooper’s office.
Protestors carried a coffin, which, according to Benavides, symbolized the “death of their aspirations” to attend college in North Carolina, due to the high cost.
“Not only were there college students present, but DACA youth of all ages who know that when they become eligible to apply to college in North Carolina, they will not be able to afford the cost of college in North Carolina,” Benavides said.
Keny Murillo, a DACA student who has attended both Durham Tech and Wake Technical Community College with aspirations to eventually attend medical school, said he is extremely frustrated with the issue.
“It really makes me mad,” Murillo said. “I’ve been living here 17 years, and for the attorney general to stay quiet and do nothing is wrong.”
Viridiania Martinez, co-founder of the N.C. DREAM Team, is DACA eligible.
Martinez said her advocacy group had originally been expecting a formal statement from Cooper by Christmas.
“Roy Cooper has been one of the few politicians to speak out against issues like Voter ID laws, but on this issue of access to higher education hasn’t shown spine or backbone,” Martinez said.
Benavides said he is hoping Cooper’s office will issue an opinion by next week.
The News & Observer reported that Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for Cooper, said Attorney General’s office is currently drafting a legal opinion.
According to The N&O, Talley said Cooper has met with the activists in the past. The N&O also reported that he is a leading 2016 gubernatorial contender for the Democratic Party.
“We understand their concerns, but a legal opinion isn’t affected by protests,” Talley said.
According to The N&O, at least 17 states allow DACA students to receive in-state tuition. In Virginia and Georgia, challenges to the state law are being made in court in an effort for DACA students to gain eligibility.
This is the second time this month that protestors have gathered outside Cooper’s office. On Jan. 1, activists gathered outside Cooper’s office for the first time to protest his silence.
These efforts on behalf of immigration advocacy come after Rep. Marcus Brandon, a Democrat representing Guilford County, asked Cooper to issue a legal opinion about whether DACA students should be eligible for access to in-state tuition.
