• DREAM Weekly Updates
   - Thursday, April 30, 2009
   - Wednesday, April 22, 2009
   - Thursday, April 16, 2009
   - Thursday, April 9, 2009

• Immigrant Student Adjustment / DREAM Act Index

DREAM Weekly Update

Thursday, APRIL 30, 2009

DREAMer of the Week!

This week's DREAMer of the week is each one of the over 15,000 people who have signed the DREAM Act 2009 petition.  Since the petition was launched, less than 2 months ago, your efforts have helped us gain the attention and support of several lawmakers.

There is still time to sign the petition.  Our goal is to have 65,000 people sign the petition, representing the number of students who graduate each year who would benefit from the DREAM Act.

Gains

Matias, a UCLA graduate and DREAM activist, appeared live on CNN's "American Morning" show last Thursday.  Matias spoke about his experience as an undocumented student and the importance of passing the DREAM Act.  Also on the segment was Gumecindo Salas, vice president of govt. relations, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.  Gumecindo successfully debated Ira Mehlman from the Federation for American Immigration Reform on the merits of passing the DREAM Act.  You can view the video here.

New Cosponsors

For the third week in a row, we surpassed our goal of getting an additional five cosponsors for the DREAM Act in the House.  In the last week, we picked up seven additional cosponsors in the House!  

We also surpassed our goal of getting one additional cosponsor in the Senate, with the addition of Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Mark Udall (D-CO) as cosponsors.  Please call to thank both senators for their support.

Upcoming Events

National call on the DREAM Act, on May 6, 2009, at 3 PM EST, convened by the United We Dream Coalition.  We will discuss new developments on the Dream Act and upcoming DREAM Act '09 campaign events.

• Invited:  Julia Massimino, Chief of Staff for Rep. Berman, to give a legislative update and to answer questions.

• Please R.S.V.P. to Tolu Olubunmi before 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, May 4th, to get the call-in information and materials for the call.  Please include your question to Ms. Massimino in the email.

Contact Us

We will report on any feedback we receive from advocates on meetings, events targeting members as well as press clippings, so please forward all these items to Tolu Olubunmi.

 

DREAM Weekly Update

Wednesday, APRIL 22, 2009

DREAMer of the Week!

Each week we highlight a person or organization that has shown great leadership in their commitment to the passage of the DREAM Act.  This week's DREAMer of the week is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who announced support for the DREAM Act at an event celebrating immigrant heritage at the mayor's residence on Monday, April 20, 2009.  A copy of his written comments can be viewed here.

Gains

Today's New York Times "Room for Debate" blog is on the DREAM Act and features some of our best advocates!  Each week, the Times invites knowledgeable outsiders to discuss and analyze news events.  Please read the pieces and post comments.  The contributors to this week's debate are:

• Tamar Jacoby, ImmigrationWorks USA

• Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies

• Nick, Dream Act Portal

• Prerna, Promigrant.org

• Hiroshi Motomura, UCLA law professor

At a press conference at the Capitol yesterday, the College Board released its new report, "Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students." The report, authored by Professor Roberto Gonzalez, makes the case that the untenable status of these students is a humanitarian, civil rights, and economic issue.  The report also debunks the myths that undocumented students limit opportunities for others.  A copy of the report can be found here.

•  Joe Zogby, chief counsel to Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), who spoke at yesterday's briefing, highlighted how the current make up of Congress and the president's support of the DREAM Act when he was a senator provides an unprecedented opportunity to enact the DREAM Act in the coming months.

• Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) spoke powerfully, linking current policies to past efforts to deny education to other groups including women, African-Americans and religious minorities.  He went on to remind the audience that there weren't "many times in history when allowing someone to pursue an education turned out to be a bad idea."  He ended by saying, "[I]t would be a clear demonstration of the true character and goodness of America to allow her future citizens the same chance to develop their talents and pursue their dreams."  A copy of his speech can be found here.

• Two students, J.P., who currently is a graduate student at Columbia University, and Matias, a UCLA graduate and DREAM Act activist, gave eloquent and moving accounts of the importance of passing the DREAM Act.

• Additional speakers included:  Gumecindo Salas, vice president of govt. relations, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and Hemi Kim, D.C. director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium.     

New Cosponsors

For the second week in a row, we surpassed our goal of getting an additional 5 cosponsors for the DREAM Act in the House.  We have picked up 8 additional cosponsors in the House in the last week!

Senate
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition members reported that when asked if he would support the DREAM Act by one of their members at a public event last week, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) in Colorado replied "yes" without hesitation.

Upcoming Events

National call on the DREAM Act, on May 6, 2009, at 3 PM EST, convened by the United We Dream Coalition.  We will discuss new developments on the Dream Act and upcoming DREAM Act '09 campaign events.

• Invited:  Julia Massimino, Chief of Staff for Rep. Berman, to give a legislative update and to answer questions.

• Please R.S.V.P. to Tolu Olubunmi before 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, May 4th, to get the call-in information and materials for the call.  Please include your question to Ms. Massimino in the email.

Contact Us

We will report on any feedback we receive from advocates on meetings, events targeting members as well as press clippings, so please forward all these items to Tolu Olubunmi.

 

DREAM Weekly Update

Thursday, APRIL 16, 2009

DREAMer of the Week!

Each week we highlight a person or organization that has shown great leadership in their commitment to the passage of the DREAM Act.  This week's DREAMer of the week is the Microsoft Corporation.  Microsoft sent a letter of support to both House and Senate sponsors of the legislation last week.  You can add your thank you to the chorus here.

Gains

• Good Morning America Weekend ran a good segment on the DREAM Act this Sunday, April 12. 

• On Easter Sunday, the Board of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) issued a statement supporting passage of the DREAM Act.

• We surpassed our goal of getting an additional 5 cosponsors for the DREAM Act in the House.  We have picked up 11 additional cosponsors (listed below) in the last week!  Note: the list will not yet be reflected on Thomas until next week as Congress is out of session for the Easter/Passover Recess.

New Cosponsors

Senate
Groups met with Senator Roland Burris (D-NY) in the last weeks, but he has yet to cosponsor the DREAM Act.

Upcoming Events

A national call on the DREAM Act is scheduled for May 6.  More information to come.

Contact Us

We will report on any feedback we receive from advocates on meetings, events targeting members as well as press clippings, so please forward all these items to Tolu Olubunmi.

 

DREAM Weekly Update

Thursday, APRIL 9, 2009

What is the DREAM Weekly Update?

In response to the many, many emails and calls we have been getting about the status of the DREAM Act, the National Immigration Law Center will be posting weekly updates about the status of the legislation.

Gains

• Thanks to the great work of DREAM students and other advocates in Missouri, Senator McCaskill said in a recent town hall meeting that she "will probably vote for the DREAM act" though she has not supported the bill in the past.  The article from the St. Louis Beacon is available here.

• Representative Honda in a commentary in Education Week argued forcefully on the positive effects that the DREAM Act would have on our struggling economy.

• Since introduction of the legislation, there have been 11 new cosponsors in the House and 12 in the Senate. All are listed below.

New Cosponsors

House of Representatives
   Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (NY-5)
   Rep. Lois Capps (CA-23)
   Rep. Michael Capuano (MA-8)
   Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-17)
   Rep. Sam Farr (CA-17)
   Rep. Bob Filner (CA-51)
   Rep. Charles Gonzalez (TX-20)
   Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-7)
   Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
   Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4)
   Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA-39)

Senate
   Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
   Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
   Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
   Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
   Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)
   Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
   Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
   Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
   Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
   Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
   Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) – Chairman, Senate Immigration Subcommittee
   Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Note:  Both senators from each of these states -- CT, CA, MA, FL and NY --  have already cosponsored the DREAM Act.  Excellent work on the part of all you advocates!