Student Activists Debate DREAM Act vs. CIR with Rep. Luis Gutierrez

Dream Act Moves to the Top of the List

In what can only be called a major win for youth activists, Democrats may finally be moving to pull the Dream Act away from comprehensive immigration reform. Yesterday, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to discuss the possibility of moving the Dream Act as a standalone bill. In so doing, Reid proved he's not been deaf to the cries coming from outside--and occasionally inside--his office to pass the Dream Act this year. Yesterday Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who's been...

Youth Activists Shake Up Congress, but Reform Still a DREAM

DREAM Act advocates are spending the summer turning up the heat on Congress to pass what many consider to be the easiest political sell of the immigration reform proposals circulating in the Beltway. Last week, hundreds of young activists staged a mock graduation ceremony in Washington, D.C., and another 21, many of them undocumented, were arrested after staging a sit-in in Democratic and Republican congressional offices. Meanwhile, four activists have been on a hunger strike since Friday in fro...

Dream Now Letters: Yahaira Carrillo

The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” is a social media campaign created to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act! Dear Mr. President, My name is Yahaira Carrillo and I’m undocumented.  As I write this, over 20 undocumented youth are risking arrest and deportation to demand that Congress take action for...

‘Dream University’ enrolls immigration activists

Modeled after the "teach-ins" of the civil rights era, students, activists and volunteer teachers are holding open-air classes at "Dream University" in Lafayette Park across from the White House. Organizers hope the event will spur passage of legislation that would give qualified, undocumented students a path to citizenship. (Matthew Gordon/The Washington Post)

Supporters of immigration reform proposal head to Washington

(CNN) -- Supporters of a proposed law that would give young illegal immigrants an opportunity to become citizens are planning to begin several days of lobbying Monday in the nation's capital. "In out heart and minds, we feel that we're Americans," said Matias Ramos, 24, an illegal immigrant who is among activists from across the country gathering in Washington this week to put their faces on the fierce debate over immigration reform. Ramos said he supports the DREAM Act, which o...