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USAction joins with the National Council of La Raza in support of the DREAM Act.
Brought to the U.S. at a young age, many students graduate from high school only to find the doors to college and the American Dream closed to them through no fault of their own. Although they have been raised and schooled in our communities the majority of their lives, these students – many of whom are Presidential scholars, honor roll students, and star athletes – are forced to pay out-of-state tuition rates, lack access to state, federal, and most private financial aid, and are unable to go to college. Due to our current immigration laws, many of these students are also unable to access the path to U.S. citizenship and face, on a daily basis, the prospect of deportation to countries that they barely know.
Unless the "DREAM Act" passes, some students will likely be deported before Congress reconvenes next year:
Marie Gonzalez, who is about to graduate from Helias High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, was brought to the U.S. from Costa Rica at the age of 5. Now 18 years old, Marie has a 3.4 GPA at one of the state’s best schools, is a member of the National Honors Society, is on the school track and tennis team, and was one of five members of the homecoming court this fall. Despite these accomplishments and her flawless English, a judge ordered her deported last December. Marie’s case is on appeal but a summary denial could arrive in the mail any day now, which could require her departure within 30 days.
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