NEW YORK—City Council met on Wednesday to discuss a resolution in support of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would allow undocumented students to qualify for a conditional permanent residency during post-secondary studies.
The DREAM Act appeared before the U.S. Senate as an amendment on a Department of Defense bill on Tuesday, September 21. The Senate voted 56 to 43 in favor of cloture of the bill, which means that it will be set aside with no further debate.
Advocates remain hopeful that the legislation will re-surface and gain approval as an independent bill.
“A lot of leaders in Congress said they would’ve voted for [the DREAM Act] if it was on its own,” said Jennifer Cariño of the New York State Youth Leadership Council.
Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) are endorsing senators who opposed the act.
“Our message to U.S. senators up for re-election this year is, ‘Do not underestimate the public backlash against DREAM Act amnesty,” said William Gheen on the ALIPAC website. “We just want U.S. senators to represent American citizens, instead of foreign nationals and illegal aliens. Senators who have forgotten their responsibility to represent Americans are going to be fired on November 2!”
Among the bill’s advocates is Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who testified at the City Council hearing.
“Each year, approximately 75,000 hard-working immigrant students graduate from high school across the country but are unable to access post-secondary education, obtain federal financial assistance or secure work because of their status,” Stringer said.
The DREAM Act applies to students who have been residents for five years previous to the application, have a high school diploma, have good moral character, and who were under the age of 16 at the time of entry into the country.
A conditional six-year legal permanent residency, a legal status required by many law schools and graduate programs, would allow these students to obtain loans for post-secondary education and to work to support themselves while studying. Thereby, barriers that many students and educators say lead immigrant youth to lose hope for the future and sometimes drop out of school would be removed.
Walter Barrien, a 25-year-old graduate student at Baruch College and a formerly undocumented student, testified at the Council hearing. He came to the United States from Guatemala at the age of 11, when his family experienced financial difficulties and sought the support of his aunt in New York.
He recounted the hardships he endured to obtain his education, including heavy course load to shorten time of study, underground jobs like cleaning and bottle-collecting, and constant fear of deportation.
“There are laws that literally prevent us from living our dreams and keep us hidden in the underground economy,” Barrien said.
As an 11-year-old, Barrien could only apply for residency through his mother. His mother’s application, however, took nine years to be processed, by which time he had turned 21 and was no longer eligible for application as a dependent.
Barrien graduated in 2006 and continued to work underground jobs until he became a victim of an assault earlier this year. This incident qualified him for a visa designated for immigrants victimized by crime. With this visa in hand, he was finally able continue his studies at the graduate level.
“No democratic society should criminalize a child. These students were children when they came here and it is not their fault,” said Jennifer Raab, President of Hunter College of the City University of New York.
The DREAM Act appeared before the U.S. Senate as an amendment on a Department of Defense bill on Tuesday, September 21. The Senate voted 56 to 43 in favor of cloture of the bill, which means that it will be set aside with no further debate.
Advocates remain hopeful that the legislation will re-surface and gain approval as an independent bill.
“A lot of leaders in Congress said they would’ve voted for [the DREAM Act] if it was on its own,” said Jennifer Cariño of the New York State Youth Leadership Council.
Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) are endorsing senators who opposed the act.
“Our message to U.S. senators up for re-election this year is, ‘Do not underestimate the public backlash against DREAM Act amnesty,” said William Gheen on the ALIPAC website. “We just want U.S. senators to represent American citizens, instead of foreign nationals and illegal aliens. Senators who have forgotten their responsibility to represent Americans are going to be fired on November 2!”
Among the bill’s advocates is Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who testified at the City Council hearing.
“Each year, approximately 75,000 hard-working immigrant students graduate from high school across the country but are unable to access post-secondary education, obtain federal financial assistance or secure work because of their status,” Stringer said.
The DREAM Act applies to students who have been residents for five years previous to the application, have a high school diploma, have good moral character, and who were under the age of 16 at the time of entry into the country.
A conditional six-year legal permanent residency, a legal status required by many law schools and graduate programs, would allow these students to obtain loans for post-secondary education and to work to support themselves while studying. Thereby, barriers that many students and educators say lead immigrant youth to lose hope for the future and sometimes drop out of school would be removed.
Walter Barrien, a 25-year-old graduate student at Baruch College and a formerly undocumented student, testified at the Council hearing. He came to the United States from Guatemala at the age of 11, when his family experienced financial difficulties and sought the support of his aunt in New York.
He recounted the hardships he endured to obtain his education, including heavy course load to shorten time of study, underground jobs like cleaning and bottle-collecting, and constant fear of deportation.
“There are laws that literally prevent us from living our dreams and keep us hidden in the underground economy,” Barrien said.
As an 11-year-old, Barrien could only apply for residency through his mother. His mother’s application, however, took nine years to be processed, by which time he had turned 21 and was no longer eligible for application as a dependent.
Barrien graduated in 2006 and continued to work underground jobs until he became a victim of an assault earlier this year. This incident qualified him for a visa designated for immigrants victimized by crime. With this visa in hand, he was finally able continue his studies at the graduate level.
“No democratic society should criminalize a child. These students were children when they came here and it is not their fault,” said Jennifer Raab, President of Hunter College of the City University of New York.
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