Colorlines: How Undocumented Youth Nearly Made Their DREAMs Real in 2010

by Julianne Hing By the time Felipe Matos got to North Carolina, his 1,500-mile march was nearly over. It was April and he, Gaby Pacheco, Carlos Roa and Juan Rodriguez were set to arrive in D.C. on May 1. They’d walked from Miami, on what they called the Trail of Dreams, to raise awareness about their plight as undocumented students and demand the passage of the DREAM Act. They’d been walking since the first day of the year, and had already passed through...

DREAM Act Battle Lost, But War Continues for Activists in 2011

The end of 2010 closes a lost decade in the fight for immigration reform in the United States with Congress failing to pass the DREAM Act that would have legalized undocumented students, though the battle will continue in 2011. Pro-reform students and activists, who had the support of wide segments of society, have made it clear that they will continue their militancy inside and outside the halls of Congress and in campaigns to enlist voters. Hispanics and other members of the immig...

DREAMers Storm Capitol Hill, Await Word on Senate Vote

by Julianne Hing Many DREAMers had already all but moved in to congressional offices in the days before the House passed the DREAM Act. Now, with a Senate vote possibly just days away, hundreds of immigrant youth activists are gathering in D.C. for their final push of the year. Congressional aides now say that the earliest the DREAM Act would likely come back up for a vote in the Senate is next Monday or Tuesday. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry ...

DREAM Act supporters stand boldly in the face of anti-immigrant attacks

By Cloee Cooper Despite the climate of fear the Tanton Network has tried to create, DREAM Act supporters have been at the forefront of resistance. DREAM activists have risked deportation, protested outside of the ICE headquarters in Arizona and staged hunger strikes among other measures. The DREAM Act would provide certain undocumented students the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of ...

Should Congress pass the DREAM Act for immigrant children? Yes or No?

YES: The legislation gives incentives for learning and rewards hard work. By Jerry Gonzalez Seventy-four thousand. That’s the number of undocumented youth in Georgia who could potentially benefit from the passage of the DREAM Act, according to a recent report issued by the Migration Policy Institute. These children were brought to this country by their parents at very young ages, and through no fault of their own are undocumented. We as taxpayers have invested in their k-12 educat...

Nidya is U.S. – The Story of an Undocumented Student

This is the story of young woman growing up in San Diego. The U.S. is the only home she's ever known, yet, a broken immigration system makes her a second class citizen.