The DREAM Act was reintroduced in Washington on March 26. Now is the time to call your senators and congresspeople to get them to act. This would change the lives of millions of currently undocumented individuals, many of them my own friends and people I consider my family. So please, do everything you can. For more info on the Dream Act, go here. Basically, the federal DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), is bipartisan legislation that would permit undocumented young people conditional legal status and eventual citizenship granted that they meet ALL the following requirements:
--if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16,
--are between the ages of 12 and 30 when the bill is passed,
--have lived here continuously for five years,
--graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED
--have good moral character with no criminal record and
--attend college 2 years of college or enlist in the military after six years of temporary residency.
And if you are like me, you might not like the military option so much, but there are some great responses to these concerns by DREAMers. Read their message to progressives who oppose the DREAM Act here at DREAMactivist and at Citizen Orange. Basically, this would be a huge motivation for tons of young people to go to college and there is no obligation to join the military. The bill is not perfect, but it would change millions of lives--not only the young people themselves, but then their entire families who now would have a qualifying relative to legalize themselves.
Wondering what to do? You can:
- Call your members of Congress! Urge your Representatives and Senators to co-sponsor the DREAM Act. Enter your zip code above to obtain contact information for your members of Congress.
- Get involved and Sign the petition asking Congress and President Obama to pass the DREAM Act in 2009.
- Ask your Congressperson to support the DREAM Act via email.