Undocumented San Jose State Students Share There Story, and Why They Call for the Passing of the Dream Act

Dream Act Press Conference San Jose State University 12/30/10 from DE BUG on Vimeo.

Commemorate the Dream

By Marcos Reyes

Today we commemorate the dream, plenty of young students are struggling with the fight for citizenship, but the greater fight is not one of inclusion but of liberation.

Our people have traveled since the dawn of mankind, have lived long in the hands of survival, and a new era has risen with our children, one not of war but of knowledge, one not of slavery but of virtue, one not of force but of strength.

For all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, to life, to liberty and to prosperity. And the greatest of this is the ownership of a great and vast country, for their fathers are our fathers, for their fights are now our fights, and being taught to pledge our hands to lady libery and justice, not just for a few but for all. do not fight for the wicked, fight rather for the just, to live and to die for the just.

To those who time after time have marked the bouderies of freedom, those who have witnessed the tyranny of wickedness, those who have hungered under their reign, our dream has always been the same, in the fields we sang to it, in the slums we have clammored it, in the trenches we have felt its warmness against the flames.

Remember the dream, remember who dreams, remember your founders, remember your fathers, remember your brothers.

Anti-Military Recruiter David Ledesma Points Out His Concerns of Military Provision of Dream Act

Stop Militarizing our Youth - David Ledesma from DE BUG on Vimeo.

Press Release by SIREN on the Dream Act

Initially introduced in 2001, the DREAM Act would create a path to legalization for immigrant students who know no other country but this one. Ten years later, we are still debating whether students have the right to pursue their education, contribute to our economy, and participate fully in society. As early as December 8, Congress is expected to vote on the DREAM Act (S 3992), bipartisan legislation that would potentially legalize the status of hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the United States as children. The DREAM Act deals with an important aspect of our broken immigration system, creating a way for bright and talented young people who grew up in America to legalize their status and achieve their dreams.

SIREN conditionally supports the DREAM Act as a vehicle to allow students a future who have been in the United States 5 years, earned their high school diploma or the equivalent, and completed two years of college or military service. They have been living in the United States for a long time, and this country has already invested in their future through K-12 education. Their families have contributed greatly to the prosperity of the country. It makes sense to allow these young dreamers the opportunity to participate fully in the social and cultural fabric of this great nation by becoming professionals and fully contributing members of society. In fact, a recent study by the UCLA North American Integration and Development Center showed that if the DREAM Act is enacted, it would generate approximately $1.4 trillion to $3.6 trillion over a 40-year period. The DREAM Act is an investment in America’s youth, in the workforce, and in the future of America. To make our Nation prosperous, we need to invest in a skilled and educated workforce. It is the only right thing to do for our youth and for our country.

SIREN’s Concerns

Last week, in an effort to reach the 60 votes necessary to avoid a filibuster, Senator Durbin and Senator Reid modified the bill in directions that will diminish the value of the DREAM Act.

1. Students will be ineligible for any public benefit including health care subsidies and in fact could be deported for being a public charge.

2. A lower age cap of “under 30 years old” will eliminate eligibility for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have completed high school and two years of college in this country but now will not be able to work legally.

3. The 10-year wait as conditional immigrants will push the benefits of full integration into US society—for example the right to vote — into the future for nearly 15 years. This institutionalizes second class status for over 5000 days — hardly fair for many who have already waited for 5,000 days.

4. By keeping the in-state tuition ban, 40 states will not be allowed to provide in-state tuition to undocumented students, who will be forced to join to the military to gain legal status.

While SIREN expresses deep concerns with the new revisions to the DREAM Act, we do acknowledge that even with these revisions as many as 800,000 students will be able to adjust status, from the 2.1 million students who would be eligible without these new restrictions. We will continue to work with our members of Congress to ensure that they understand the impact of passing the DREAM Act and that they see this as a down payment for the other 10 million unauthorized immigrants who continue to suffer in third class conditions. It is time to make a down payment on efforts that will uphold our nation’s values of fairness, hard work, and shared prosperity. These students are deserving of the right to achieve a better life for themselves and their families.