Thursday, September 3, 2009

Calling all students and student orgs at the U of I!!

On September 23rd, U of I will be participating in a Back to School: DREAM Act day of action.

Approximately 65, 000 students who would qualify for the DREAM Act graduate from U.S. high schools each year including honor roll students and valedictorians, star athletes and talented artists, aspiring teachers and engineers.

While some states like Illinois have passed in state tuition to allow many of these students to receive a more affordable higher education, without a Social Security number they continue to face legal and financial barriers. They are also unable to work legally in the U.S. and often live in fear of detection by immigration authorities and uncertainty of their future.

Because of our outdated and broken immigration laws in the U.S., the DREAM Act is currently the only hope for the students. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bipartisan legislation that addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children, who have since grown up here and been educated in U.S. high schools while keeping out of trouble.

At Illinois, we are dedicated to educating others when it comes to immigration related issues. We hope students, student organizations, and educators become aware about this issue and offer their support. If you or your organization is interested in collaborating, please contact us lacolectivarso@gmail.com. Because this is an issue that affects ALL students and U of I is no exception.