DREAM Act

• Gotta love it when you make news calling out Ted Nugent. That's right, Stephen Colbert picked Kevin's hit on that old guy who wondered why we weren't joining the Tea Party. Go Future Majority!
• Durbin's DREAM Act hearing bring in cabinet heads, 200 young people
  

  "Durbin secured an especially large hearing room with some 200 student supporters expected.

  "These are young people who have that kind of exciting look in their eyes that they want to be part of the world," Durbin said on the Senate floor last week.

  "But they can't make that first move toward the life that they want to live because they are undocumented," he said."

• Youth triumphs again in LPGA event so take that! Still doesn't mean I know anything about golf though….
• Private student loans get bankruptcy protection with proposed legislation
• The Maine League of Young Voters video on Health Insurance
  
• Fitting Gen Y into your marketing plan And later today you'll hear details on just how to do that with Part 1 of my analysis of the millennial marketing data from the new mega-research project to be released this September.
• Lessons from NY State
  

  "These changes won’t likely reverse anytime soon. As the Public Religion Research Institute found, the millennial generation — the more diverse, tolerant generation that will lead our country — support same-sex marriage by 57 percent, consistent with a recent Pew study showing that 64 percent of millennials are supportive, versus 46 percent of Generation X and 37 percent of baby boomers."

  (Pew takes into account cell phones as I recall. Gay marriage is going to become the norm. People should just get use to it or move.)

• Pretty cool story Arab Spring turns into Entrepreneurial summer - essentially American young business owners and others are meeting up in Egypt to help young business owners there
• Joining the family business after college should be a careful decision - working for your family might be just as miserable as moving back in with them. Or … it could be a great experience. Weigh your options…
• Liberal Alternative to Tea Party Debating War on Drugs etc…
• Maine's war on voting rights and how it affects young people
• Resources for young people who want to run for office

Later today my piece on the top lines of the new Millennial Marketing research project will hit - its a two day post breaking down their data

The DREAM Act failed in the Senate after Republicans and five Democrats, Pryor (Ark) Tester (Mont.), Nelson (Neb.), Hagan (NC), and Baucus (Mont.), voted no.

Campus Progress issued the following statement:

Statement of Angela Peoples, Policy and Advocacy Manager at Campus Progress (the youth division of the Center for American Progress), on the Senate’s failure to pass the DREAM Act today:

“Campus Progress is extremely disappointed in the Senate’s failure to pass the DREAM Act today. The fact that common sense, fiscally responsible legislation like the DREAM Act cannot pass in the Senate says a great deal about how deeply cynical our political process has become. It is a travesty that the futures of thousands of talented young people have become casualties of political posturing and misleading, xenophobic rhetoric.

We are grateful to Senators Reid, Durbin, Levin, Leahy and others who have consistently and courageously stood with us to fight for the DREAM Act. We want them to know that we will continue to fight until the thousands of young people who want nothing more than to give back to the only country they call home have the opportunity to do so.

We watched the vote carefully today, and rest assured, we will remember who chose to stand up in support of fairness and expanding opportunity, and those who stood in the way.”

USSA issued the following statement:

Today, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed in a Senate procedural vote. This legislation would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented students who go to college or enter the military. The United States Student Association (USSA), the country’s oldest and largest student association, has supported the DREAM Act since it was first introduced in 2001.

“Students nationwide, both with and without proper documentation, were extremely disappointed in yet another failure of Congress to summon the political courage to pass the DREAM Act,” said USSA President Lindsay McCluskey. “This bill would strengthen the moral, educational, economic, and military foundation of the U.S., yet too many members of the Senate chose to put politics over country today.”

Recently, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced the DREAM Act would have raised over $2 billion in revenue for the U.S. and cut the deficit by over $1 billion over the next ten years. Additionally, several members of President Obama’s cabinet, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, had come out very supportive of the DREAM Act because of its benefits to national security.

Undeterred by the vote, young people will continue fighting for immigrant youth justice by gearing up for what will most likely be a difficult 112th Congress.

On the eve of an historic vote on the fate of the DREAM Act, the National Immigration Law Center and a coalition of civil rights, education, child advocacy, and labor organizations have released the “DREAM Act 2010 Yearbook,” featuring the personal stories of undocumented young men and women who would benefit from this legislation. If passed tomorrow, the DREAM Act will provide undocumented young people who were brought to this country as children with a pathway to legal status if they attend college or enlist in the military.

“Discussions about the DREAM Act are too often devoid of the faces behind the legislation. With so many barrels of ink spilled over the relative merits and costs of the DREAM Act, it’s little wonder that we forget about the people who would be most impacted by this legislation,” said Tyler Moran, federal policy director for the National Immigration Law Center. “We hope that the young men and women in this yearbook remind all those engaged in this debate that this legislation should not be about politics, but about sound policy for the children who have grown up here.”

The children and young adults profiled in this yearbook are from small towns and big cities, and have diverse professional and personal aspirations. Many have already obtained degrees in desperately-needed medical and technological professions.

First introduced in 2001, the DREAM Act has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Last week, it was passed by the House of Representatives with a vote of 216 to 198. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated that the DREAM Act will come to a vote in the Senate tomorrow.

For more information about the DREAM Act, visit http://nilc.org/immlawpolicy/DREAM/index.htm.

Originally posted at Citizen Orange.

The fate of almost a million lives could be decided in the next six hours.  As a voter, as a millenial, as a migrant, as a Guatemalan, I'm writing to say that I will be watching along with the vast majority of those who will determine the future of the United States of America. 

If you already haven't heard already, Harry Reid is going to offer the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act up as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.  The Senate is scheduled to vote on taking up the Act tomorrow at 2:15 p.m.  If you haven't called you're Senator yet in the support of the DREAM Act please do so now by calling:

It is imperative that you focus on these Senators.  If you've called already, call again.  If you've called again, ask five friends to do the same.  If you've done all that, here are some more actions you can take.

If you haven't heard about the DREAM Act yet I wouldn't be surprised.  The media has largely been focused on the train wreck that is Christine O'Donnell's campaign.  But the mainstream media is missing out on one of the most suspenseful political dramas I've ever witnessed.  No one knows if we have the votes to beat the filibuster in the Senate, today.  If we don't beat it, the National Defense Authorization Act will likely have to wait until after the elections.  At that point, all bets are off. 

One of the most compelling elements of this political drama has been the interaction between The LGBT movement and the migrant youth movement.  What to an outsider might be perceived as two unrelated constituencies, perhaps even hostile to each other, have been working long before this moment to build unity and solidarity.  It is one thing to believe in the truth that we are all woven into a "single garment of destiny."  It is another to live that truth and act on it.  The migrant youth movement and the LGBT movement having been living and acting on that truth, as we all should.  My freedom is tied up with the freedom of everyone else in the universe, and tomorrow we have a chance to set close to a million people free. 

Again, the media hasn't been watching but everyone who matters everyone who will decide the future of this country is watching.  The DREAM Act has been front-page news on major Spanish language newspapers all week, and featured heavily on Spanish language television.  The U.S.'s largest and fastest growing minority, Latinos, is watching, today.  Educators and students from around the country have organized for and come out in support of the DREAM Act.  The next generation is watching, today.  Facebook and twitter have blown up with mentions of the DREAM Act, and traffic on the sites covering the DREAM Act is through the roof.  Business leaders, religious leaders, and military leaders have all come out strong in support of the DREAM Act.  If the Senate fails to move the DREAM Act forward today, we will all be watching and we won't just remember this November, but for the rest of our lives. 

The next generation isn't just watching whether the DREAM act will move forward, but whether the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) will move forward.  Lady Gaga has galvanized youth for the repeal of DADT with her extensive twitter and facebook following in a way that probably hasn't been seen seen Barack Obama was elected.

According to a poll commissioned by First Focus, 70% of the U.S. public supports the DREAM Act.  Multiple polls show that a majority of the U.S. public supports the repeal of DADT.  Republicans, for the most part, are floating arguments about procedure.  They are saying that Democrats are playing politics with the National Defense Authorization Act.  Republicans are playing politics, too, and have used the procedure of the filibuster to grind the Senate to a halt for two years.  Playing politics is what politicians do.  The public doesn't care about politicians playing politics or what procedures are used as long as Congress does their job and gets things done.  It's time for Congress to get two things done that the majority of Americans support. 

Republicans, especially, face an important choice, today.  They can please their increasingly regional extremist base and relegate themselves to irrelevancy for a generation, or they can do the right thing and be competitive with the next generation of voters.

If we win, today, we will face an even steeper uphill battle, but we will all be watching.  Failure has not entered into my mind.  We will pass the DREAM Act and DADT will be repealed.  It is no longer a question of if, but a question of when.  The time is now and whomever stands in the way will regret it for a long time. 

Bumped by Craig.

Originally posted at Citizen Orange.

If you haven't been on facebook, twitter, or following the news, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced yesterday that he would be introducing the DREAM Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.  Univision anchor Jorge Ramos tweeted last week that Reid wanted to move the DREAM Act before November.  Now we know how Reid wants to move it.  The DREAM Act could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday of next week.

For those that don't know, the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would give the right to exist to almost a million migrant youth who are American in every sense except for the piece of paper that recognizes them as such.  Specifically, the DREAM Act would give unauthorized migrant youth who were brought to the U.S. before the age of 16 an opportunity to earn legal status, provided they graduate from high school, are of good moral character (no criminal record), and complete either two years in college or two years in the military.  The specifics of the legislation are sound.  I can convince almost anyone to I speak with to support the DREAM Act.  The only real reasons folks have to oppose the DREAM Act, in actuality, are either ignorance and/or hate. 

However, the importance of the DREAM Act goes beyond the specifics of the legislation.  For tens of millions, and a good portion of the 70% of Americans who support the DREAM Act, the legislation represents a renewal of the American promise and a positive way forward in what has been decades of a harmful, divisive and stagnant immigration policy debate.  I see it as a baby step towards alleviating what I believe is one of the most harmful inequalities that exists on the globe today, the inequality between nations.  The DREAM Act will help us move towards a world where people migrate out of want, not out of need.  The DREAM Act will help us move towards a world where the piece of the Earth we were born on is no longer the primary guarantor of our God given rights.  Don't take my word for it, hear it from the mouths of DREAMers themselves. 

Again, the DREAM Act is being added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which for those that don't know, is a bill that Congress has to pass every year to fund the U.S. Department of Defense.  There has long been whispers of trying to pass the DREAM Act as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act.  Frankly, I think it's our best chance and it makes the most political sense.  It minimizes the chances of hostile amendments to the DREAM Act and it spotlights the military provision of the DREAM Act, which appeals particularly to Senate Republican. 

There's also a certain poetic justice to the fact that the Defense Authorization Act already includes "Don't Ask Don't Tell language."  I've already written about how a disproportionate amount of migrant youth leaders identify as queer.  The LGBT movement is inextricable from the migrant youth movement.  There would be nothing sweeter than huge victories for both LGBT movement and the migrant youth movement at the end of next week.  It would also allow for skittish moderate Senate Republicans and Democrats to swallow what they might perceive to be bitter pills before the elections all at once.

I'm happy to report that the additional political complication of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus holding the DREAM Act hostage to comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) is no longer an issue.  Today, Representatives Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) all came out in support of moving the DREAM Act on its own now to put us in a stronger position to pass CIR later, as it should be.  I will let Gutierrez tell you what they will be asking of President Obama when they meet with him tomorrow:

We will also ask him to use all his power, to use all of his influence, to use all his might and to use that bully pulpit of the White House ... to make sure that the DREAM Act has a successful vote next week

Luis Gutierrez - Roll Call (15 September 2010)

The pro-migrant movement is united as never before and ready to use all it's pwer to fight for a better tomorrow not only for unauthorized migrant youth, but for all of us.  

The only factor that has yet to be decided is how Senate Republicans react.  Before I continue, let me say this.  People who follow me know that I'm no partisan.  Democrats are in charge of all the levers of the government machine that is tearing apart all our communities with over a thousand deportations a day now.  As unpopular as it makes me sometimes, I stand behind any politician that stands with migrants.  When progressive media assailed John McCain (D-AZ) for being a flip-flopper on the DREAM Act when he was running for President in '08, I supported him.  Of course, I feel like an idiot now that he has flopped back, but would support of him if he flipped again. 

Republican leadership has already come out strong against the DREAM Act.  Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called the the DREAM Act an "extraneous" measure.  Today, McCain called the DREAM Act an "onerous" provision.  The real question is not whether Republican leadership will support this, though, but how moderate Republicans like Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), George Lemeiux (R-FL), and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) respond.  I honestly have no idea how they will react, but I have a feeling that the narratives the media latches onto will play a huge role. 

There are two major media narratives to push back against: one of which is just false, and another of which is only small part of a larger story.  First, the media is going to try and portray the DREAM Act as a "controversial" measure which is nowhere near the truth.  According to a recent poll, the DREAM Act is supported by 70% of the U.S. public.  It has long been one of the most popular immigration measures among Republicans and Democrats like and has always been introduced in a bipartisan fashion in both the House and the Senate.  Carly Fiorina, Republican Senate nominee in California, recently came out in support of the DREAM Act as have other Republicans running to be elected this cycle.  Don't take my word for it, read Allahpundit at the popular conservative blog Hotair.com (emphasis mine):

Normally I'd call this self-serving nuttiness since it helps Reid but forces vulnerable Dems to choke on another difficult immigration vote, but the DREAM Act is the most politically palatable ground-preparer for amnesty that the left has. It's specifically geared at kids and education, so indies won't grumble too much. In fact, at her debate with Boxer a few weeks ago, Carly Fiorina said she supports it. Frankly, this may be a tougher vote for the GOP in trying to get it stripped out or, possibly, having to vote against the appropriations bill in toto [sic] to stop it.

Here's anti-amnesty Democrat Mickey Kaus making the thumbnail case against the DREAM Act a few years ago. You know what would be great? If the Republicans controlled the Senate so that we didn't have to face tough votes like this. Oh well.

Allahpundit - Hotair.com (14 September 2010)

Even members of the nativist Center of Immigration Studies have uttered grudging partial support of the DREAM Act because they know it undercuts every bogeyman argument about immigration that they have.  Again, the DREAM Act is not "controversial."

The second argument the media is going to make is that this is a political move by Harry Reid to shore up the Latino vote in preparation for his extremely competitive election against Republican Sharron Angle.  That's only part of the story.  Reid would not be moving the DREAM Act on its own if it weren't for the courageous actions of the folks at thedreamiscoming.com.  Their sit-in in his office is what turned the tide for the DREAM Act.  Before that he only was only willing to push the DREAM Act as part of CIR. 

Ultimately, this story is bigger than Reid.  I'll quote Reid on this:

I don't think we should talk about how beneficial the DREAM Act is for Democrats.  We should talk about how fair it is to people who should be able to go to school if they want to or join the military if they want to. That has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans.

Harry Reid - Las Vegas Review Journal (14 September 2010)

Look out for those two narratives in the media and push back at them as best as you can through the comments, emailing reports, facebook, twitter, you name it.  The more those narratives take hold the harder it is going to be for moderate Republicans to do the right thing.

More important than all of that, though, move your Senators to vote for the DREAM Act!  Any and all pressure to get the votes we need is appreciated.  Emails, faxes, calls, office visits, actions, you name it.  I'll write more on that shortly, but in the meantime, I'll send you to this dreamactivist.org page that tells you who to call.

Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  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 Carlos and I'm a 23 year old undocumented immigrant from Caracas, Venezuela.  I want to legalize my immigration status in this country through the passage of DREAM Act this year.  For too long have I lived in the U.S. without papers.  It has been over 20 years, now.  I want to legalize my immigration status in order to fulfill my dreams of becoming a young professional in architecture.

There are obstacles in my daily life that make it extraordinarily difficult to pursue a career in architecture.  Fortunately, because of my determination to continue my studies after graduating high school in 2005, I'm currently a student in Miami Dade College.  It has not been without great difficulty.  For many years it felt as if all the potential I developed in high school was for nothing.

I am the perfect example of other students in similar situations whose voices have been silenced by the fact that we are not truly accounted for.  We are afraid of speaking up because doing so might affect our immigration status in this country and possibly even lead to deportation.  I myself felt this way for several years, but after dealing with my status for so long, I now consider it a duty to speak up for myself and for other youth in my shoes.

I remember that dark and cold feeling of shame, fear and hopelessness.
 
After the death of my mother--the person I was closest to in my life--I'd constantly ask myself what is to come of me?  Where is my life going?  If it wasn't for her strength and desire to see me succeed, I would not have devoted myself to this cause in her memory.  If it wasn't for her love--her incredible affection transcending my existence--I would not have been able to conquer the fear of being undocumented. My love of humanity has manifested itself through the fight for immigrant rights.
 
That's why I was one of four undocumented youth that participated on a 1500 mile walk from Miami, FL to Washington D.C. known as the Trail of Dreams.

I encourage you to present this letter U.S. Congress, Mr. President, so that the voice of one undocumented immigrant echoes the voice of millions.  I hope that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus can have the vision to push for the DREAM Act this year.  It would be be a dream for so many families, fathers and mothers just like mine, to see their children on the path towards legalization and professional degrees.

I consider it a colossal loss for society that young Americans, such as myself, find it extremely difficult to continue our studies after high school graduation.  We are unable to work legally, unable to join the Armed Forces, unable to legally obtain a driving license, and unable to apply or receive most scholarships. Economically supporting our families under these circumstances is impossible.

Our legalization would greatly contribute to our communities and make this country a better place.  As young professionals we would open businesses, create jobs, pay taxes, and play a much stronger role rehabilitating the economy, just like any other hardworking U.S. citizen.

Please give us the opportunity to contribute to the only country we know as our home, Mr. President.  Please step up and help us pass the DREAM Act, this year. 

Sincerely,
Carlos A. Roa, Jr.

The "DREAM Now" letter series is inspired by a similar campaign started by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.  The letters are produced by Kyle de Beausset at Citizen Orange with the assistance of America's Voice.  Every Monday and Wednesday DREAM-eligible youth will publish letters to the President, and each Friday there will be a DREAM Now recap. 

1. Sign the DREAM Act Petition
2. Join the DREAM Act Facebook Cause
3. Send a fax in support of the DREAM Act
4. Call your Senator and ask them to pass the DREAM Act now.
5. Email kyle at citizenorange dot com to get more involved

Below is a list of previous entries in the DREAM Now Series:

Mohammad Abdollahi (19 July 2010)
Yahaira Carrillo (21 July 2010)
Weekly Recap - Tell Harry Reid You Want the DREAM Act Now (23 July 2010)
Wendy (26 July 2010)
Matias Ramos (28 July 2010)
Weekly Recap - The CHC Has To Stand With Migrant Youth Not Against Us (30 July 2010)
Tania Unzueta (2 August 2010)
Marlen Moreno (4 August 2010)
Weekly Recap - The Ghost of Virgil Goode Possesses the Republican Party (9 August 2010)
David Cho (9 August 2010)
Ivan Nikolov (11 August 2010)
Yves Gomes (16 August 2010)
Selvin Arevalo (18 August 2010)
Weekly Recap - Latino, LGBT, Migrant Youth, and Progressive Bloggers Lead For the DREAM Act (20 August 2010)

The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  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!

[Note from Kyle de Beausset: Selvin wrote this letter right before he got into a minor car accident on April 9, 2010.  He was set to get his high school diploma in June but has been in detention ever since.  I have chosen reproduce Selvin's letter as I found it in his empty room, rather than polish his slight grammatical errors, to allow his character to shine through.]

Dear President Barack Obama,

From the bottom of my heart, I plead to my God that you and your entire family receive blessings from the highest God while you are reading this letter.  I admire and thank you for the great labor that you are fulfilling as a president in this big nation.  My name is Selvin Ovidio Arevalo.  I came to this country when I was 15 years old.  I came from Guatemala to this country to fulfill my dreams because I always have believed that this is a country of many opportunities for those whom want to succeed.

Since I came to this country, I have been going to school to learn and enhance my English.   Three years ago, I enrolled with Adult Education in Portland, ME, for my high school diploma.  Finally, in this June 2010, I shall have my high school diploma.  I am already enrolled in college transition.  I wish that at the end of this yar, I can go to college, but what concern me about is getting financial aid.  I cannot qualify for any financial aid because I am not legal in this country.  The reason that I write you is to plead you for a solution to my problem.  I have been a Christian since I was a kid.  For eight years, I have been praying to my God to touch the heart of the leaders of this country to provide me legalization.  I think that I have three important reasons for why I want to be legal in this country.  First reason: I want to go to college and have a degree of computer science and more.  Second: I am one of the leaders of a Christian church in Portland, Maine.  I am the treasurer of the church, a musician; I play instruments in the chorus of my church, and a youth leader.  Third: I have not seen my family (parents, sisters, and brother) for eight years.  I have shed tears for them, but I am waiting until a legalization to go to see them.

I appreciate and thank you for spending your time reading this letter.  Once again, I plead you for a solution to my problem.  My faith is great; I believe that one day I am going to be legal in this country.  Then my dreams will become true.  Once again, thank you for your good will and I hope you have a wonderful time.  May the peace of God be with you forever and ever!

Sincerely,
Selvin Arevalo Ovidio

How you can help Selvin:

Right now, the focus should still be on stopping the deportation of Ivan Nikolov, but if you would like to stay up to date on Selvin's case you can:

1. "Like" his Facebook page
2. Join the Facebook group "We Are Selvin"
3. Follow Citizen Orange for more updates

The "DREAM Now" letter series is inspired by a similar campaign started by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.  The letters are produced by Kyle de Beausset at Citizen Orange with the assistance of America's Voice.  Every Monday and Wednesday DREAM-eligible youth will publish letters to the President, and each Friday there will be a DREAM Now recap. 

1. Sign the DREAM Act Petition
2. Join the DREAM Act Facebook Cause
3. Send a fax in support of the DREAM Act
4. Call your Senator and ask them to pass the DREAM Act now.
5. Email kyle at citizenorange dot com to get more involved

Below is a list of previous entries in the DREAM Now Series:

Mohammad Abdollahi (19 July 2010)
Yahaira Carrillo (21 July 2010)
Weekly Recap - Tell Harry Reid You Want the DREAM Act Now (23 July 2010)
Wendy (26 July 2010)
Matias Ramos (28 July 2010)
Weekly Recap - The CHC Has To Stand With Migrant Youth Not Against Us (30 July 2010)
Tania Unzueta (2 August 2010)
Marlen Moreno (4 August 2010)
Weekly Recap - The Ghost of Virgil Goode Possesses the Republican Party (9 August 2010)
David Cho (9 August 2010)
Ivan Nikolov (11 August 2010)
Yves Gomes (16 August 2010)

As the President prepares to speak to the nation Thursday regarding the need for comprehensive immigration reform, NAFSA: Association of International Educators has launched a campaign called "Reaching for a DREAM: Support a Path of Hope for Undocumented Students."

The campaign calls on as many people as possible to contact Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and ask her to make "deferred action" the formal policy for DREAM Act-eligible international students. If "deferred action," now only instituted on an ad hoc basis, was to become formal policy, students would be able to stay in the United States to pursue their studies without fear of deportation while Congress debates the DREAM Act.

At Connecting Our World, NAFSA's online community in support of international education, advocates can send a message directly to the Secretary, tweet about the campaign, and share their story with the community.

Props to NAFSA for launching this campaign. Here's to hoping that Congress gets this thing done.

Mike has been gracious enough to let me post Herta's story on the front page of Future Majority. To stay up to date on the impressive organizing unauthorized migrant youth are doing go to dreamactivist.org. Below is Herta's Story:

My name is Herta Llusho, I am 19 years old, and I writing this because I am about to be deported.  I was born in Albania and was brought to the United States when I was 11 years old.   With the help and support of my family, I have struggled through more than seven years of legal proceedings to find a way to stay in this country legally.  Despite our best efforts, on August 19, I will be removed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the only place I know as my home.  I will be sent back to a country that has become a foreign place to me.  I don't even speak Albanian well anymore.  My only hope of staying here is for as many people as possible to ask DHS to delay my deportation until the DREAM Act is passed.

My parents brought me to the United States because they believed in the promises this country had to offer. To them it was the land of opportunities, values, and ideals. They were faithful believers of the American Dream, meaning that through hard work, education, and good character their children could accomplish anything they wanted. In fact, they believed in it so strongly that they sacrificed their own lives, as well as their relationship to make it happen. My dad stayed in Albania with the hope of relocating to the US, while my mom left everything behind in pursuit of a better life for her children. To this day, even after many years of struggle and sacrifice, they still believe that it is all worth it, and so do I. I have been truly blessed in the many opportunities I have received. The United States has made me the person I am today. I would like nothing more than to contribute to the country that has given me so much.

When my parents first brought me to the United States, I attended Pierce Middle School, just outside of Detroit, MI. I couldn't speak English, at first, but within a year I was able to learn it due to the extremely supportive and patient teachers and friends I made. Some of the friends I made in middle school are still some of my closest friends today. After I finished middle school, I attended Grosse Pointe South High School. Throughout my high school years, I was a 4.05 GPA student and was committed to a lot of extracurricular activities such as the Looking Glass which was a magazine publication of short stories and poems, the Spanish club, and National Honor Society. I ran cross country, track and played a little bit of soccer. Also through my church and other organizations, I volunteered at homeless shelters, summer day camps, and tutoring programs. Last year, I was accepted into the school of electrical engineering at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), where I was still able to maintain my GPA. I chose to become an electrical engineer because I really enjoy math and science and I have a lot of family members that are engineers.

I might not be able to continue my studies at UDM though because I have been ordered to leave the U.S. I have been to many immigration lawyers, all of whom tell me that I have run out of options. My brother scoured the Internet to look for something, anything, to help me stay in the U.S. My brother came across a story on dreamactivist.org announcing that Taha's deportation was just averted.  DHS just gave Taha and his mother a stay of deportation until Taha graduates from college.  I would like nothing better than for DHS to do the same for my family.  That is why my brother contacted dreamactivist.org for help, and that is why you are
reading my story, today.

I know I am not the only one that is struggling with this broken immigration system.  Going from lawyer to lawyer has taught me how inhuman this bureaucracy has become.  If you don't fit within a certain box it's as if you don't matter.  I know there are thousands of others like me, or in worse situations than I am in.  

Still, like my parents, I continue to believe in the promises of this country; even if those promises don't come easy. We have to continually struggle to renew those promises so that they apply to everyone.  That promise should apply to a young man, like Taha, who against all odds is brought over from Bangladesh and is able to graduate and get accepted into college, as much as they should apply to a young woman like me.

That is why I am asking you take the following actions. Help me delay my deportation until I finish college or until the DREAM Act is passed.  Help renew the promise of the American Dream for me, so that together we can work renew the promise of the American Dream for everyone.

1. Join the facebook group for immediate updates: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111108019510
2. Sign petition which will be hand-delivered to targets: http://www.change.org/actions/view/stop_deportation_of_dream_student_herta_llusho
3. Use SEIU Click to Call Action Tool to call DHS: http://call.seiu.org/9/hertadhs
4. Call Senator Carl Levin at (202) 224-6221. Urge him to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.
5. Call Senator Stabenow at (202) 224-4822. Urge her to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.
6. Call Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick at (202) 225-2261. Urge her to a) introduce private bill for Herta, and b) write letter to DHS asking them to stop Herta's deportation.

Campus Progress has been busy today! They released their video about the DREAM Act

And a great piece on the Huffington Post by Erica Williams about Health Care being THE issue for youth.

"CNN's poll released yesterday shows a striking generational divide over support of Obama's health care plan, with the reform being significantly more popular among young people than among adults over the age of 50. Nevertheless, every day I try new responses to those that ignorantly assume I don't care about health care reform because I'm under 30 and supposedly invincible.

I could tell them that health care reform is my fight because my partner, 25 years old, is an entrepreneur, consultant, and all around brilliant guy who cares more about professional fulfillment than financial gain and has thus been without insurance for 3 years. I've cried myself to sleep many a night over his lack of coverage, terrified that at any moment, an illness or accident could push us into financial ruin in the beginning stages of our life together.

I could tell them that health care reform is my fight because 60% of my friends (yes, I did the math...) have lost their jobs in the past 6 months and don't go to the doctor. Or that my godmother died of cancer with health insurance that wouldn't cover her treatment."

Read the whole thing if you have a moment, its a great piece that perfectly captures the plight young people face with a lack of affordable health care. Its much more accurate than the NYTimes narrative about the "Invincible Generation."