After the U.S. Senate’s decision to not pass the Development, Relief and Education Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) last Wednesday, the SMU College Hispanic American Students and the League of United Latin American Citizens sponsored an information session and forum yesterday.
The panel, led by Raymond Rico, a policy associate at the National Immigration Law Center, discussed the DREAM Act itself along with what can be done to continue the fight for immigration policy.
The DREAM Act concerns undocumented children who are currently receiving an education in the U.S. The DREAM Act would grant a temporary, six-year citizenship to immigrant students who arrived in the U.S. at age 15 or younger, graduate from high school and who have no criminal record. Within the six years, the student must graduate from a two-year college, spend two years in military service or finish two years toward receiving a degree from a four-year school. Upon the completion of one of these requirements, the student will receive the ability to apply for permanent residency.
The DREAM Act failed to pass, receiving only 52 votes out of the 60 it needed to clear the Senate floor. Hector Flores, immediate past president of LULAC, related the Senate’s decision to past struggles in the civil rights.
“It’s another dark page of our history. I think fear and also hate killed the DREAM Act,” Flores said. “Hatemongers are out there. There was political cowardice because they’re afraid to be labeled [in support of] immigration.”
The panel urged students to continue the fight for the passage of the DREAM Act in what it called a student-led effort. Student activism became a common theme as the panel encouraged fighting, staying active and persevering. If the DREAM Act passed tomorrow, it would affect 750,000 undocumented students with high school diplomas and 350,000 students currently in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Each year, upwards of 65,000 undocumented children raised in the U.S. graduate from high school.
“The government may try to close the door to the American dream, but this country can not take away education,” Rico said. “If [undocumented children] were told they could be whatever they wanted to be, then it was a false promise.”
Even though the DREAM Act failed in the Senate, the House of Representatives has yet to bring the issue to its floor. Contrary to how it seems, the sentiment regarding the DREAM Act’s failure to pass remained positive.
“What happened last week was a milestone. It was the first time the DREAM Act got a vote on the Senate floor. It’s a human rights issue, it’s an education issue,” Rico said.
The panel also discussed the importance of the 2008 presidential elections and the issue of immigration at the forefront of candidate platforms, but understood it may take longer to see the DREAM Act become a reality.
“You’ve got to push the pressure on. It might not happen today. Stay involved, use your skills,” State Representative Roberto Alonzo said. “Because you can’t vote doesn’t mean you can’t encourage.”
