Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of DREAM
Reposted from: Women of Color Policy Network Blog
Pomp and Circumstance played over the loud speaker as more than 500 young people from across the country walked down the aisle in the Lower Senate Park overlooking the nation's Capitol- however, this was not your typical graduation. It was a call to legislators and the Administration to pass the DREAM Act, which would allow young undocumented immigrants to adjust their status after meeting certain requirements and attending either 2 years of college or military service.
The National Dream Graduation organized by the United We Dream Coalition celebrated the accomplishments of undocumented youth despite the enormous barriers to higher education they face because of their status. At the same time it symbolized the unfulfilled possibilities of 65,000 immigrant high school students that graduate each year but are not able to continue their studies and pursue their dreams. Among those present, Paula, dressed in her purple Hunter College gown from her own graduation this June, listened to the speeches of fellow DREAMers who are now facing deportation proceedings. Born in Peru and a New York resident since the age of 2, Paula is only one of the many students, advocates and allies who visited their representatives, urging them to pass the DREAM Act this year.
First introduced in 2001, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would address the situation that Paula and tens of thousands young immigrants face. These young people, who arrived to the U.S.at an early age, stayed in school and kept out of trouble, would have the opportunity to adjust their immigration status after completing 2 years of college or military service. Currently, children account for 1.8 million, or 15 percent, of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.Like their citizen peers, immigrant youth are fully integrated into American culture and include valedictorians, Model UN delegates and like Paula, fervent Mets fans and excellent cooks. However, because they lack legal status, as students they cannot obtain financial aid or scholarships for college, cannot work here legally, and live with the constant threat of deportation and being separated from their families.
A recent College Board report estimates that, with the DREAM Act, 360,000 undocumented
high school graduates would be able to pursue their collegiate and professional goals. Another 715,000 immigrant youth ages 5-17 would have an incentive to finish high school and go on to college.
While critics claim the DREAM Act is a form of amnesty and rewards the undocumented, they fail to realize that its passage would benefit the nation socially and economically as a whole, reducing high school dropout rates and even increasing revenue from taxes paid by a more educated immigrant population.
A 1999 RAND study found that a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman with a college
degree will pay $5,300 more in taxes and require $3,900 less in government expenses each year than if she had dropped out of high school.
Immigrant youth and supporters have done everything but stand on the sidelines to ensure that the DREAM Act passes this year. Across the country, online social networks such as DreamActivist and pro-migrant bloggers have coupled with youth organizing efforts on the ground in Florida, Texas, California, and New York, just to name a few, under the United We Dream Coalition to spread awareness, mobilize and advocate for the DREAM Act. The graduation ceremony this week was a product of their efforts and allied support from NILC, SEIU, USSA and NCLR, among others. The (often) volunteer hours and sacrifices of these youth organizations have catapulted DREAM onto a national stage and enable students like Paula to share their stories and urge their representatives to co-sponsor the DREAM Act. So far, the bill has 79 co-sponsors in the House and 22 in the Senate- about a third of those needed to ensure its passage this year.
Sitting in the ample conference room of NY Senator and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration in the Judiciary, Charles Schumer, Paula described her current state of limbo having graduated as a Film Studies and Latin American Studies double major, and yet unable to work or continue on to grad school in the country she considers home. Since graduation she has been working an over-night babysitting job and lives with her parents and younger brother, who is a citizen. Although at times it gets overwhelming, Paula continues to march ahead despite her circumstances. For Paula and thousands like her, the DREAM Act would ensure her life, liberty & pursuit of happiness; to the nation, it would be a testament to our commitment to these ideals and the first step in reforming our immigration policy.
You can support the DREAM Act by signing the official petition and contacting your representatives to co-sponsor it today.
