DACA rally held in Brookings ahead of Noem's speaking event

Thursday was day two of demonstrations in South Dakota in support of dreamers affected by the recent DACA decision.

SDSU Democrats rallied in Brookings, hoping to grab the attention of Republican Representative Kristi Noem ahead of her speaking event at the Swiftel Center.

“I hope she sees there are so many here to support it, there are so many people affected by it,” SDSU student Sami Alfke said.

“I hope she sees there are a lot of South Dakotans who care about this issue,” SDSU College Democrats President Claire Deuter said. “It’s really up to Congress to create legislation to protect these dreamers.”

The group of college students and other supporters rallied behind dreamers in South Dakota and around the nation Thursday afternoon.

“These are people who have been here their whole lives, America is all they've ever known,” SDSU Student Cade Walker said. “I was fortunate enough to be born in this great nation, but not everyone is that lucky.”

“We need to fix this situation, because the people who have been caught up in this situation, the dreamers, this is a terrible situation for them to be in, so it’s not that I’m not sympathetic, I’m incredibly sympathetic to them and I do think we need to figure out a way forward,” Rep. Noem said.

While Noem agrees something needs to be done, she doesn't believe President Obama’s executive order on DACA was constitutional.

“We have to make sure those laws are enforced, when they have been broken that there's consequences to that,” Noem said.

“You have to follow laws, you have to create meaningful laws, but you have to remember that everybody is different and it’s really important when it comes to people and their lives,” Deuter said.

As lawmakers continue the DACA debate, South Dakota Voices for Peace has set up a hotline for dreamers who may be eligible for a renewal. The number to call is 605-782-9560. Applications must be summited within the next two weeks.