Gaining Momentum

by DREAM Activist

Published May 15, 2009 @ 08:47AM PT

We now have 57 co-sponsors in the House and 22 in the Senate.

Sen Burris, Roland [IL], who has stepped in to replace the Senate seat left vacant by President Obama, has now joined as a cosponsor of the DREAM Act. From the Office of Senator Burris:

Today thousands of minors live in the United States despite being illegal aliens. Oftentimes, they are brought into the country by parents and relatives looking for work and better lives for their families. Once here, these youth attend American schools and live traditional American lives, contributing their talents and energy to our great nation. Under current law, though, these students are ineligible for many higher education benefits, greatly hindering their ability to compete in a 21st Century economy where education is crucial.
[...]
We are a better nation when everyone here has an opportunity to succeed, and I think that the DREAM Act will help us realize that goal.

These are the new cosponsors in the House of Representatives:
Rep Miller, George [CA-7]
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33]
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30]
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3]
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2]
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7]
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1]
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1]
Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7]
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11]
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1]
Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2]

We are missing supporters from the official cosponsor list because key members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus i.e. the likes of Luis Gutierrez and Xavier Becerra have not cosponsored the bill. That does not mean they will vote against it but rather that they want the DREAM Act as part of a larger comprehensive reform package.

An undocumented student will meet with Vice-President Joe Biden today and hand him a DREAMAct2009 button. Get your button here.

Full report later.

Videos: Historic Undocumented Student Teach-in At Stanford

by DREAM Activist

Published May 08, 2009 @ 09:14PM PT

Watch one of the best advocates for the DREAM Act--Mark Silverman from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center--talk about the issue in front of over 250 people at Stanford University.

Teach-in at Stanford - Mark Silverman from Dream Activist on Vimeo.

"I am a professional. I am almost bilingual. I am ready to stop work soon. So pass the DREAM Act so these future immigrant professionals can pay my social security."

Teach In: Undocumented Immigrant Students And Their Struggle to Achieve Higher Education

by DREAM Activist

Published May 07, 2009 @ 10:03AM PT

I have this panel at Stanford today and hopefully I can get some videos for everyone.

WHEN: Thursday, May 7, 2009

4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Food will be provided)

WHERE: Center for Education & Research at Stanford (CERAS) Lobby

520 Galvez Mall (map)

Join us for two panels:

4 p.m. First Panel – Discussing Macro Level Policy and Legislation

Professor Bill Koski <http://www.law.stanford.edu/directory/profile/36/> (Stanford Law School)

Douglas McGray <http://www.douglasmcgray.com/bio.html> (Writer for This American Life on NPR and The New York Times)

MALDEF <http://www.maldef.org/> (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)

Asian Law Caucus

6:15 p.m. Second Panel – Teacher and Student Testimonials

E4FC (Educators for Fair Consideration)

Amadis Velez - Teacher, Mission High School

Anna Takahashi - Director of College Counseling, Eastside College Prep

And 3 Undocumented Students

For questions specific to the Teach In, please contact apmoreno@stanford.edu

Co-Sponsored by:

Stanford University School of Education, El Guiding Concilio of El Centro Chicano, and MEChA de Stanford

NACAC: What College Admissions Frenzy?

by DREAM Activist

Published May 06, 2009 @ 09:45PM PT

We received this message on Twitter yesterday - Space still available on college campuses for Fall--NACAC releases annual Space Availability Survey www.nacacnet.org/space

According to NACAC's Space Availability Survey, an annual query of NACAC-member four-year institutions, there are still enrollment possibilities at around 258 colleges and universities.

Here is the factsheet.

So much for limited college slots and the myth of 'displacement.'

DREAM Act - Rounding Up April - 43 House Co-Sponsors; 21 in the Senate

by DREAM Activist

Published May 05, 2009 @ 01:36PM PT

Microsoft and College Board came out for the DREAM Act even as nativists like William Gheen stomped about pointlessly. A new endorsement list will be out soon.

Students at University of Florida,  Wayne State, University of Texas-Austin, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Temple University and others around the United States passed resolutions in favor of the DREAM Act.

The New York state assembly passed a resolution for the DREAM Act and resolutions are being considered in states like Indiana.

City councils were not far behind. In Southern California, 8 cities passed resolutions that were sent to the White House. East Chicago in Indiana and the Oakland City Council are considering it, which would be a slam-dunk.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has a DREAM Act advocacy toolkit for us.

As an organization, United We DREAM has gained new grounds and organizers in states like Virginia, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky, Arizona, and Montana through DREAMActivist. We hope to continue on this recruitment path.

Read More »

New Ruling on Identity Theft

by DREAM Activist

Published May 05, 2009 @ 09:38AM PT

Just an important FYI - The Supreme Court ruled this Monday that the crime of identity theft is limited to those who knew they were using another actual person's Social Security number.

The decision came in Flores-Figueroa v. U.S. and overturned part of an Illinois man's conviction for using false documents.

The crime of fraudulently using a social security number is termed an 'aggravated felony' and usually leads to speedy deportation.

On a related note, I came across an uplifting post this past weekend where the blogger ridiculed the power of a 'social security number.' It is certainly a must-read.

In the course of the intervening years, numerous people asked to see this silly little piece of paper, and I showed it to them. Perhaps I did so out of pride, simply for having a little piece of paper of my own. Perhaps I did so out of fetishistic glee at feeling “a part of something”. Perhaps I did so because, otherwise, I couldn’t obtain a lawful salary.

Hell, I don’t even remember.

Full entry here.

Students March for Change

by DREAM Activist

Published May 04, 2009 @ 05:05PM PT

Students turning out to support the DREAM Act on May Day in pictures:

Florida -

Oakland, California

New York, New York

Read More »