Today, July 20th 2010, hundreds of students from around the nation gathered in our country’s capitol to lobby for the passage of the DREAM Act, including members of the Immigrant Youth Justice League. On this day, 22 DREAM students engaged in a civil action to show the Senate that it is time for the DREAM Act to become a reality. These brave students made history and held a sit-in in the offices of Senators Menendez, Schumer, Feinstein, Reid and McCain to ask them to become a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act as standalone. The time is now.
As of 7 pm on July 20th, all DREAM students engaged in the action have been arrested, nine of which are members of the Immigrant Youth Justice League. (Meet the DREAMers http://bit.ly/aa90oS)
We need your help to support the cause, and pass the DREAM Act. Call all five of these Senators and ask them to co-sponsor the DREAM Act as standalone and to stop using immigrant youth as pawns. We want the DREAM Act to be the piece of legislation that would relieve not only our friends, but also the estimated 2.1. million undocumented youth that would qualify. ACT NOW!
Numbers:
Senator Reid 202-224-3542
Senator McCain 202-224-2235
Janet Napolitano (Director of Homeland Security) 202-282 8000
Oh please, Rosa Parks they are not! These so called DREAMers know full well that the Obama administration will step in and offer them deferred action status. Soon, the initial charges will be dropped and instead of being deported, they’ll have employment authorization documents. What a disgrace and a slap in the face to all law abiding US citizens and legal residents.
I’m a Chicago Democrat who will never again vote for Durbin nor Obama. Oh, and I’m a law abiding Latino too. Imagine that!
I’m listening to a program about undocumented immigrants and totally disagree. I hear children who no nothing of the background for coming into my country and trying to take over it. Do you know that La Raza sang praises when they killed an American back in the 70′s in a rally.
Why do you want to live in a country when you don’t obey the laws? and you want to change the laws so you don’t have to live by our laws. Why do you want to live in a country that you have no intention of pleging alligiance to? or adopting its language and customs?
I wouldn’t want to be a Mexican in Mexico either. Why? when I can mooch of another and live better. I don’t care if you are married with a family — take them with you. Lift up your country. Make it better.
What I’m hearing on the show is not what freedom is all about. It isn’t doing what you want to do, where you want to do and when you want to. Living in America is about knowing its history and believing in its principles and ideals and pledging your alligiance to those beliefs.
Changing laws isn’t about changing laws to give priviledges to a particular group. Laws that need changing have no color in them.
I grew up on the border with people of a Mexican heritage, but they were Americans.
I have absolutely no interest in people who want to be in country to change it to be their country. People change to be citizens of the country of their choice, not the other way around. When you truly want to be an American and speak English, let me know.
Hi Gemariah Borough,
I’m one of the students who participated in the civil disobedience in DC on July 20th. First, I want to say that I’m really happy you are taking the time to come to our website and letting us know your opinion. It is really important to get both sides of a story, well kind of. I just thought maybe you should hear directly from one of the students who was involved to clarify your…opinions, hm misconceptions really.
If a law violates a human being’s right to education, to learn, to create a title of themselves does that mean it should not be changed? Would you allow a law to prohibit your children the right to continue their dreams of becoming a doctor, a teacher? Just because someone is not born in the United States it does not mean they are not a proud American. I have been living here since I was three, imagine that! I probably couldn’t walk or talk very clearly yet. So cute. So I am much more American than I am Mexican, and don’t get me wrong, I do want to visit Mexico but I will do so when I am documented. I’d hate to not be able to come back home, back to Chicago, back to my cats and family.
Also, there was a possibility of ICE becoming involved and another possibility of such deportation proceedings to be stopped, of course. However, a possibility is not equivalent to uncertainty. We could have been deported, we could have lost EVERYTHING we have ever known and love. It was the ultimate sacrifice, something the broken immigration system pushed us to do.
I would also like to clarify that the United States actually doesn’t have an official language. Our country is a rich melting pot of culture and languages and dialects, really neat, right? Most of us DREAMers though, speak fluent English. It’s something that kind of happens after attending American schools for over a decade. Also, many of us have been pledging allegiance to the flag since we were really little. I still remember putting my hand on my heart and standing up straight every morning in 1st grade.
Also, I think you may need to brush up on your U.S. history. I have taken countless history classes, I am sure that you know those are required in elementary school and again in high school. So, I am very aware of what happened before you or I were born. I love education!
Let me give you a quick run through just to refresh your memory.
So a bunch of people came to the U.S. a long long time ago escaping religious injustices from another country. They created their own government, were able to practice their own religion, did not ask for permission from the Native Americans and settled in and well the rest is history.
I would love for Mexico to better their economy and the drug problem, so let me know when you find a solution, we could pitch it to the Mexican president. I am sure he will appreciate it.
If you have any more concerns or questions don’t hesitate to come back!
We’ll be here until the DREAM Act passes and even after that.
Take care,
Lulu
@ Frank Medina
Hi Frank, I think you missed the whole idea of this civil disobedience or maybe you just misread it. The DREAMers risked everything for the DREAM Act, not for individual legalization. If they ended with that, that easily then that would defeat the whole point of the action. That’s okay a lot of people don’t get it the first time.
By the way I’m a US citizen and I’m law-abiding too till I break the law because I make mistakes just like everyone else.
@Gemariah Borough
I am quite offended with your belief that learning English and being American are connected. My parents are Asian American immigrants who came here in their late twenties, both from poor and under educated backgrounds. Do you know how difficult and frustrating it is to learn another language at a school while trying to assimilate, raise a family, and pay the bills/food with and an income of $3 an hour? All on top of learning a new culture, new identity, new roles while feeling completely alone and homesick? No. You wouldn’t know because you are not an immigrant. My parents still love this country despite not having a native tongue for English, just like many other documented and undocumented immigrants who went through the same thing. Some do succeed and some don’t but the point is, you can’t just tell people to LEARN ENGLISH and not have a clue why they haven’t. People are not just light bulbs.
Thank you for reading the post and thank you for your comments.