Students Around the Nation Call for Passage of DREAM Act

This press release comes from our partners at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2009

Contact:
Katherine Vargas
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-51988 (mobile)
(kvargas@immigrationforum.org)

Push for DREAM Act Gains Steam

More than 125 student-led events across the Country call for action on bipartisan immigration legislation

Washington, DC - Today, the United We DREAM Coalition is organizing a day of action with more than 125 events in 26 states in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM Act, bipartisan legislation that will benefit talented immigrant kids who attend college or serve in the military. The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington. For more information on today's DREAM Act events visit the United We DREAM Coalition website.

Today's national day of action show the energy and enthusiasm of students organizing so they and their families can achieve the American dream. The DREAM Act is a critical component of comprehensive immigration reform and we anticipate that it will be part of the broad package of reforms that begins moving in Congress later this year.

The plight of thousands of students who are culturally American, caught in the limbo of our laws, and who cannot fully integrate into our society remind us of what is at stake in the DREAM Act. Each year that passes by with Congress failing to act on immigration, America looses a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society.

We all recognize the value of higher education and service to our country. By denying these aspiring immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue a brighter future, our country is thwarting their potential to benefit and strengthen the U.S. economy. The bipartisan support enjoyed by the DREAM Act helps set the stage and builds momentum in Congress to address comprehensive immigration reform. It will not be enough to just get these young people into the system unless we create a way for their families to get legal status and get them fully into the American system. As part of a series of reforms that make legal immigration a viable option for families and workers, the DREAM Act makes a ton of sense.

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Posted in: DREAM ACT,National Immigration Forum,rally,United We DREAM Coalition