DREAM Act
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My Name is Gloria and I am an Undocumented American
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DREAM Act Not Controversial After All
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My Name is Ashley and I am Undocumented
"I Think About Killing Myself Everyday"
Published November 20, 2009 @ 12:21PM PT
[This week's guest Dream Act guest post is written by Lily, an undocumented student whose life took another course when her parents left behind a good life to come to the United States for her sibling. Visit Dreamactivist.org to find out how you can help pass the Dream Act and give students like Lily an opportunity to contribute to this country].
Back home my Dad was a pilot. My mom was a stay-at-home mother and was treated like a queen. I have a brother who is 14 months older than me. I always knew he was different. When playing hide and seek he could never find anyone, so I remember being loud on purpose so that he would find me. It was obvious he had learning problems, and one day we found out his teachers were beating him in school.
My parents had decided to come to California in order for my brother to have something to do through out his days, because it was obvious he could no longer attend school back home. My parents told my brother and I that we were going on vacation (which we always did.) I was 8 at the time and my brother was 9.
We got on a plane and came to California and we were enrolled in school immediately. I knew we weren't going back anytime soon. Life was hard. My parents hired an attorney to help us get our green cards. Little did we know that this guy was fake and not even an attorney. Things just took a turn for the worse from there.
Korean-American Student Shares More Than Secrets
Published November 17, 2009 @ 07:00PM PT
Ju Hong, an undocumented student at Laney College, just launched his personal website (JoinJu.com) to garner support from the Korean American community for the DREAM Act and immigration reform. He has regularly given powerful speeches in support of this cause, taking grave risks to come out as an undocumented immigrant. Maria at DreamActivist remarks that Ju is not a spectator, but rather a gladiator for the cause. In his circles, Ju is known as 'The Beast.' I'll leave everyone to hear what Ju has to say.
1. What's your theory of change regarding immigration reform? How do you think we can make real change happen?
My theory of changing the course of immigration system is to pressure Senate and President Obama to pass the DREAM Act as well as comprehensive immigration reform. I believe that this is only way to solve our solutions because our representatives are the one who make ultimate decisions. So it’s really up to us how hard we can pressure Senate and President Obama to pass the DREAM Act.
However, this is not going to be easy. It takes time and dedication. There are several ways to pressure Senate and President Obama to make real change happen. One way is to educate other people and the community by having a workshop or a mini conference to bring social awareness and urge them to call/send letter to representatives. Second, share your story. You can always share your story in school, church, or local community to educate about our side of story. Third, join organizations and clubs to advocate about this issue. Lastly, embrace online blogs like facebook, myspace, wordpress, and twitter to reach out people and encourage them to support the DREAM Act. These are very important tactics and great effective ways to bring awareness and pressure senate and president Obama to be on our side. In short, we must come together and start to organize, mobilize, and take collective action to fix our current immigration reform. That’s the only way to make real change happen.
Why Hasn't Rep. Loretta Sanchez Co-Sponsored the DREAM Act?
Published November 16, 2009 @ 12:41PM PT
The Orange County DREAM Team has been lobbying Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) for quite a few years to co-sponsor different versions of the DREAM Act. She has refused to do so, stating her preference for comprehensive immigration reform.
I didn't get the memo stating the mutual exclusivity between actively supporting the DREAM Act and wanting comprehensive reforms for the broken immigration system. Did you?
Her flawed logic sends an erroneous message that politicians who do co-sponsor the DREAM Act don't want comprehensive reforms. Really Loretta?
My Name is Jamie and I am an Undocumented American
Published November 13, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT
[This week's DREAM Act guest post comes from Jamie, who already has a BA and an important message of social change and action for all of us. Visit Dreamactivist.org to find out how you can help pass the DREAM Act].
I was brought here like many other undocumented students at a young age. My sister and I lived in East LA for a short time until we moved to a better part of Los Angeles. Unlike some others, I did know about my legal status from a very young age. Because of this situation, I was constantly living in fear of being exposed and was very shy as a result of it. I can truly say that living in the shadows of society has an effect psychologically. It feels like I am always hiding something from people that I wish I didn't have to. Despite these challenges I still have the ambition to prove to myself and others that we Dreamers can still get ahead in life.
I have noticed throughout this time that not only am I in the same situation as many others but I also have built the same character as them. We share the same ambitions to prove wrong to those that doubt us, to be something more than a stereotype we have been portrayed in the media. I learned to stop feeling sorry for myself and pick myself up from this mental prison we have all been placed in. Ironically in many ways it has made me stronger to deal with challenges in life. My hope is that it doesn't beat me to the ground.
My Name is Maria and I am Undocumented
Published November 06, 2009 @ 03:00PM PT
[This week's DREAM Act guest post comes from Maria, who believes that undocumented students deserve the chance to prove themselves. Visit Dreamactivist.org to find out how you can help pass the DREAM Act].
The year of 1996 was the year when I began to try new things, the year when my mother, two-year old brother and I moved from Costa Rica to America. Moving to a new country as a six year-old was more than an adventure; it was a chance for me to reunite with my father again as he had moved to America two years before us. It was also the first time I met my dad’s family. It was the first time I had ever held the soft, pure, cold snow, the substance that made me fall in love with America. My love for America grew even more when I realized that I was now living in a country where all dreams could become reality; a country with golden opportunities.
That same love stayed with me through middle school even when I was isolated by my classmates because of a language barrier. That same love stayed with me when I was forced to sing the “Star Spangled Banner,” but did not know the lyrics. I wanted to be accepted by classmates, but they only knew me as the girl with an “accent.” I knew I needed to be the best in order to prove to everyone I was equally as good. With that realization, I tried my best to be on top of my class, and in seventh grade, I was encouraged by my teachers to apply to a program called NJSEEDS, a program that prepares economically disadvantage inner city students with strong grades to attend college preparatory boarding or day high schools. I was one of 200 students throughout New Jersey to be chosen for this prestigious program.
I attended Garrison Forest School, an all girl boarding school in Maryland. I felt more than honored to be selected among hundreds of applications to attend this private school. The love for America, which had grown over the years, stayed with me even as I applied to colleges my senior year at Garrison Forest, but had little hope of getting into them due to the fact that I was an undocumented student.
Waiting for Change
Published October 29, 2009 @ 10:33AM PT
It takes over a decade to pass a good bill. Last week, Senator Durbin promised to fight for the DREAM Act till he 'draws his last breath' at an immigration forum at DePaul University while also telling immigrant youth to wait in the same breath. It's the same promise deferred year after year. The DREAM Act was introduced back in 2001 when I still had legal status in this country and almost every year after that. In 2007, undocumented youth were told to wait till 2009. Now, they are being told to wait till 2010. When the election year swings around faster than anyone expected, thousands of dreams may just be deferred till 2011.
The White House promised to look into the possibility of deferring deportation for undocumented youth this past August but DHS still refuses to defer the deportation of DREAM Act students like Jorge Alonso Chehade, and Herta Llusho. USCIS has the power to exercise discretion in immigration cases but it is more concerned about deporting people than doing justice. Next week, Gilbert Mejia might be left in limbo in the United States while his family is deported back to Guatemala along with his U.S. citizen siblings.
The person who is waiting for something to turn up might start with their shirt sleeves.
- Garth Henrichs
'Waiting it out' is not an option. Expecting politicians to do the right thing on immigration without nudging them is never an option. President Obama could chose to defer the deportation of thousands today with just an executive order, place a moratorium on raids and suspend misguided programs that give local cops power to act like immigration officials. But he refuses to budge and pays lip service to the large immigrant community in the United States.
In the face of Executive and Congressional inaction, we have to take action. Today, supporters of the Mejia family are holding a vigil outside Dianna Feinstein's San Francisco office in hopes that she would introduce a private bill to keep the family in the United States. Perhaps no one represents the spirit and character of a fighter better than Jorge Alonso who recently established a site dedicated to his dream of staying in the United States in order to keep his campaign alive. He is not waiting for deportation. Neither should the thousands upon thousands who currently live in the shadows of society.
Video Credit: ProgressIllinois
My Name is Mei Lau and I am Undocumented
Published October 23, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
[This week's DREAM Act guest post comes from Mei Lau, who is eligible for the DREAM Act and represents the essence of the American DREAM--a high school graduate at the age of 15 who merely wants to attend college in this country. She is undoubtedly and irrevocably an immigrant that America needs and this country should find a way to retain her intellect and services instead of turning her away. Going back to her country of origin to apply for a visa to re-enter will not work in all likelihood so please do not make that suggestion].
My name is Mei Lau, a 15 year-old high school graduate. My brother and I arrived in US following our mother, who was an international student at the time, when I was nine and have been educated here ever since. But right now, I can't even be considered an international student anymore because mother cannot afford her tuition fee due the harsh economy for the past two years.
We both skipped two grades and entered high school at the age of 12. My IQ was proven and officially tested to be over 150. I maintained a 4.66 GPA in school with 4 AP classes and 2 college computer course, and finished all four years of high school math in my freshmen year. I went on to score a 5, highest score possible, in AP Calculus AB test in my sophomore year. Everyone including my counselor, teachers, friends, family, and myself was absolutely certain that with such a young age and brilliant record, I could get a full scholarship.
Quite a few were offered to me - with the requirement of being a permanent resident or US citizen. I was not. And several schools that accepted me regrettably informed me that they could not provide me with a full scholarship. Even the full scholarship the state university should provide to the students with 3 AIMS exceeded was denied to me because of my status despite the fact I completed my entire high school years here.
The most they could grant to a non-US citizen student like me cannot even cover my tuition that is essential if I wish to attend any college. My mother is a single-parent that had to take care of two kids while barely graduated high school. She was a student herself and had to work all day to cover her own tuition fee and our living expenses. I never saw her taking a break in four years from work other than during national holidays. She never bought anything for herself but still we struggle financially. She cannot possibly cover my college expenses.
I am underage, obviously, and cannot even get a student loan. Most scholarships either have an age or citizenship requirement. I can't even legally work because I don't have a social security number. I'm running out of ideas and have yet to find a solution.
I dread what the future may bring. Am I going to be forced to drop my education so young with my level of intelligence just because of where I was born? I lived here nearly as far as I remember. US is my home. I never knew another. Yet, opportunities are all being close to me because of the fact I was not born here. My brother is about to graduate within two years. If the DREAM Act is not passed by then, he is about to face the same dilemma I am facing. I really don't know what to do right now.
(Photo courtesy DreamAct2009)
