10 Reasons to Pass the DREAM Act Now

Some whacky, some funny, some serious reasons to pass the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented students in the United States. There is currently no other way for them to legalize their status.

• We are willing to risk deportation for our DREAMs

  

  Four undocumented students created history when they risked deportation to get Senator McCain to cosponsor the DREAM Act so that they can legalize their status by going to college or joining the military. That has to count for something. No? What will you risk to attend college and serve in the military of the United States? http://thedreamiscoming.com

• Young Sheroes and Women Power

  

  The women from the University Leadership Initiative in Austin Texas, rocking it at a rally for the DREAM Act last September. The immigrant youth movement has to be at least 70% female with young women pulling the strings and getting things done. Passing the DREAM Act would only empower these young women to go on and do great things with their lives.

• We cannot afford to lose more Dreamers

  

  They were pioneers, fighters and Ivy league graduate students. They not only dared to dream but chased after those dreams with a passion and ferocity that inspired many across the country. And now they are no more due a tragic accident in Maine, but their dream lives on in our memories, stories and through our resolve to fight on. Pass the DREAM Act in memory of Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix. It's the least we can do. Click here for more information

• We have our own version of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jrs

  Every heard of the DREAM walkers? They braved everything from bad weather to the Ku Klux Klan to walk 1500 miles to DC from Florida for the DREAM Act, evoking memories of Mahatma Gandhi's salt march. Next, they went to Arizona and hugged it out with America's most anti-immigrant Sheriff--Joe Arpaio, spreading the message of peace, love and non-violent resistance. They also don't like the word "undocumented." No, we are all human beings. http://trail2010.org

• Because we are willing to starve for our Dreams

  

  Immigrant students from New York are on an INDEFINITE hunger strike till Senator Schumer agrees to move the legislation out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The DREAM Act has the votes to pass. Why not give immigrant communities a victory this year while helping America? Follow @starved4dream on Twitter

• Because we can shutdown the busiest street in Los Angeles

  

  Flavia de la Fuente, editor of DreamActivist and graduating student at UCLA, is featured in this interview with RT Today as one of the organizers of the protest that shutdown Wilshire Boulevard for 2 hours. It was such a huge deal that the incident trended on Twitter and Cold War giants Russia woke up to the DREAM. BTW - Isn't Flavia an eloquent and amazing press spokesperson? That should get us some more brownie points.

• We organize on ZERO institutional support and funding

  

  The revolution is not funded. Anja, a supporter of the DREAM Act in Florida, took her free Reform Immigration for American T-shirt and turned it into a DREAM Act apparel with just a few tweaks. Now that's creativity on a shoestring budget that gets the message across.

• Holy smokes! Gay Iranians and Exotic Fijians

  

  This isn't just about "those Mexicans." You might have seen Mohammad Abdollahi (right) has lived in the United States for 20 years without papers due to $20 and two strong cases of legal malpractice. And now he is in deportation to Iran, where he might be killed for being gay, because of a trespassing charge. Punishment doesn't fit the crime, don't you think? Prerna Lal (left) is a queer immigrant from the Fiji Islands, like the water bottle. If the exotic factor isn't enough grounds for U.S. citizenship, lets just say she's the only person in her family without papers b/c she "aged out" after waiting in line for 9 years. When it was time to give her a green card, U.S. immigration told her, "sorry, you are now over 21 and no longer an immediate relative to your mother, father or sister. Please go to the back of the line and wait another 8 years." No joke - this happens with thousands of young people. They are both founders of http://dreamactivist.org because the DREAM Act happens to be their only pathway to citizenship.

• We have animalistic support and approval behind us

  

  Dogs support the DREAM Act because it is a no-brainer. Heck even fictional characters like Dora are on board. When will our human Congress get the message?

• Because we put together the biggest banner ever!

  

  At least the biggest banner ever seen at an immigration rally in the United States. It took so many hours of lost productivity. Wouldn't you rather have the amazing DREAM Act students in Arizona do something better with their time?

• But mostly because we are Americans, just without papers and stateless in our own country

  

  Featured: Matias Ramos, a tireless advocate for the DREAM Act and graduate from UCLA who is currently in deportation for not having a proper ID. What sense does it make to educate kids and young adults for so many years, only to deport them to foreign countries after graduation? None. America is losing valuable talent and human resources. Pass the DREAM Act and get on the winning side of history.