July 21, 2010--Officials and
activists addressed a DREAM Act mock graduation ceremony at Lutheran Church of the Reformation several blocks
from the Capitol. The DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and
Education for Alien Minors Act), first
introduced in Congress in 2001, would provide a pathway to
legal status for undocumented students. |
Frank Sharry, founder and
executive director of America's Voice, speaks at the graduation
ceremony. Afterwards students had pizza and then marched to Capitol Hill to lobby for the legislation; several were arrested for disorderly conduct in the Hart Senate Office Building. |
The National Immigration Law
Center (NILC), a group which seeks to "defend and advance the rights
and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their family members"
describes the DREAM Act as: "bipartisan legislation that
addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the
United States years ago as undocumented immigrant children and who have
since grown up here, stayed in school, and kept out of trouble."
According to NILC, "Without this important piece of
legislation, we risk losing future doctors, lawyers, teachers, and
other vital contributors to our communities."
The Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group which seeks to stop illegal immigration, describes the DREAM Act as: "a broad amnesty measure
disguised as an educational initiative that
would allow millions of illegal aliens under the age of 35 who meet a
very loose definition of 'student' or serve in the military to qualify
for green cards. The DREAM Act also allows states to grant
in-state
tuition benefits for illegal aliens, displacing legal residents
competing for a fixed number of college admission slots and taxpayer
subsidies."
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Copyright
© 2010 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action. All rights
reserved. |