Louisville supporters of DACA send message to McConnell

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Demonstrators carried candles and walked from Douglass Boulevard Christian Church through the Highlands neighborhood in support of Dreamers and DACA Wednesday night.

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Organizers planned to take their message to the Louisville home of Senate Majority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, who lives nearby.

"By doing this we want to express to him that we are supportive of DACA and the dreamers in our community," Pastor Derek Penwell said. "And we want him to know we are watching what he does."

Supporting a bipartisan budget deal just hours earlier, McConnell said on Twitter there will be no change in his plan to allow debate on DACA, but he made no promises.

"While I obviously cannot guarantee any outcomes," McConnell said, "let alone supermajority support, I can ensure the process is fair to all sides."

According to Mayor Greg Fischer, there are 9,000 Dreamers in Kentucky. He said a third to a half of that number live in Louisville.

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"These are folks that are working," Fischer said. "87% of Dreamers are either working or in school. 6% of them have started businesses. They're in the military as well. They're integrated into our community because they came as a young child with their parents."

Mayor Fischer said protecting the Dreamers is personal for him. He said his wife is the child of refugees who immigrated to this country to escape war. He accused the president of playing politics with human lives.

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