Change takes courage Mr. President!

Today the change takes courage campaign is taking action across the nation urging the Obama administration to use its power and take action. We urge you to join us in this campaign and sign the Petition!

Deportations under President Obama have reached record levels. It’s a moral outrage that families are being separated, young people are being robbed of their future and public safety is being threatened by a system the president knows is broken. This must stop.

Too many families have been broken up thus far. It's time to change, time to show courage:

The Change Takes Courage Campaign is urging President Obama to keep families together by:

1. Keeping families together.

• End the deportations of parents of U.S. citizen children. Separating parents from children is a morally reprehensible act. It’s violation of America’s core values.  Consider the plight of Raul Cardenas of Denver who has been married to a U.S. citizen for more than 8 years and has a young daughter who is also a citizen and now faces deportation.
• End the deportations of military veterans. Our nation must not turn on the very people who serve it and help preserve it. That is exactly what our broken immigration system is doing. Consider Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, who served the Army National Guard and sustained injuries that left him in a wheelchair and now faces deportation.
• End the deportations of DREAM-eligible young people.   In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama said: “Let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can staff our research labs, start new businesses and further enrich this nation.” He was right, and he could end the practice right now with a stroke of his pen. Here are two students to whom he should be true to his word: Jackie and Jaime, high school seniors in Maryland, have been fighting to gain in-state tuition that will allow them to continue their education.
• End the deportations of immigrants who have families, jobs and deep roots in America and are contributing to their communities.  Our economy and our communities are made stronger by immigrants and immigration. We need look no further than the story of Mauricio Bautista who has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, works at a bilingual school and is beloved by his community.
• Provide protection for all immigrants who are vulnerable to deportation simply because their paperwork is currently in process, and they are trapped in a bureaucratic backlog. It’s intolerable that our broken system is punishing people who have legitimate and legal claims to be in this country. For example, Saad Nabeel was deported unfairly to Bangladesh last year but should have been allowed to stay to give time for his case to run it course.

2. Discontinue ICE programs that undermine the public safety of all communities

Making local police the agents of the Federal government contributes to civil rights violations, terror in communities and makes our neighborhoods less safe.

• ICE should immediately clarify that states and municipalities are indeed allowed to opt out of Secure Communities.
• It is clear that programs such as 287g, Secure Communities and the Criminal Alien program increase the likelihood of civil rights violation. The aggressive promotion of these programs should end immediately.
• Where agreements already exist, ICE should defund/reduce funding.
• Secure Communities should only be used for its intended purpose, to remove only those convicted of Level 1 offenses.
• The Justice Department should immediately repudiate the memo from 2003 that purported to recognize the inherent authority of local and state law enforcement to enforce immigration law.

3. Protect all our workers

We must recognize the importance of those who live and work in our midst. No economic recovery can be achieved by our nation without respect for worker rights as a key element.

• Moratorium on I-9 audits by ICE and SSA no-match letters
• Protect workers’ rights to organize
• Prevent unscrupulous employers from using any ICE and other federal resources to break up unions.
• End use of E-Verify

Senate Votes Tomorrow on DREAM Act

Sixty votes needed to overcome Republican-led filibuster

Last night Senate majority leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on the DREAM Act and a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The procedure locked in a vote on the DREAM Act for Saturday morning at around 10 a.m. The DREAM Act would allow undocumented immigrant youth to earn their citizenship by attending college or serving in the military for two years. The bill passed the House of Representatives last week, but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate, where it must obtain 60 votes to overcome a Republican-led filibuster.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry supports the DREAM Act, but Senator Scott Brown declared his opposition to the bill as recently as Monday. His opposition stands in stark contrast to the endorsement of DREAM by university presidents from Bunker Hill to Harvard and editorial boards from the Boston Globe to the Boston Herald.

The following is a statement from Eva Millona, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition."Hundreds of thousands of innocent youth across this country are waiting on the U.S. Senate to end their legal, social and economic limbo by passing the DREAM Act. The version now before the Senate is the toughest yet devised, with provisions that limit its one-time applicability to youth under the age of 30 who came to this country at age 15 or younger, and who completed their high school studies here. The parents of these children would generally not be eligible for any benefit from this act, and the children themselves would have to pay for college without the benefit of any government assistance."

"Massachusetts has the seventh largest immigrant population in the nation, with one million foreign-born residents," Millona continued. "This week, the census bureau release information that confirms the diversity and vitality of that population, which represents 17 % of our workforce and has helped keep our economy among the nation's strongest in these difficult economic times. The youth that this bill serves would only further bolster our communities and our economy. As the Congressional Budget Office has shown, these youth would contribute billions in additional tax receipts to our states and our nation, if only we give them a chance. We hope that Senator Brown and others who have been opposed to DREAM will reconsider their position, allowing these youth to become a full part of the only country they know as home."

MIRA urges everyone to contact the Senate at the following numbers:

Contact YOUR Senator (these lines patch you directly to your state senator)
Spanish: 866-961-4293
English: 866-996-5161

Contact a TARGET Senator (this line randomly routes to senators who need to hear from voters)
Spanish 866-956-3902
English: 866-587-6101

Watch the Senate Debate LIVE Saturday starting at 10:00AM:


Photo: Students gathered for “United We Dream! Commencement Ceremony,” in Washington, D.C. Photo: NIKKI KAHN/KRT/Newscom

New, But Faded Dream

The passage of the DREAM Act by the House last night is a huge step forward for the immigration reform movement. But as we anxiously await the Senate’s vote, let’s take a look at the current Senate version.

Recent changes to the DREAM Act have more narrowly defined who is eligible under the already compromised bill. With Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doing his part to push the DREAM Act into vote, the modified bill has cut many benefits to secure the much needed third Republican vote; Senator Dick Durbin has committed to be the second Republican vote, but the third vote is yet to be filled. Activists for the DREAM Act, or DREAMers, are looking to Republican Senator from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who in 2007 had promised to push for the bill once it was amended to party demands. Well, the time has come! The latest version of the bill, S. 3992, has many changes, limitations, and provisions that will inevitably affect the many students seeking education and eligibility to serve in the military.

The DREAM Act would allow eligible undocumented youths who entered the country before their 16^th birthday, and who commit to 2 years of higher education or military service, to be eligible for permanent residency and to ultimately become naturalized citizens.

Compromise came at certain costs. According to the new DREAM Act, there will be a cap on eligibility at age 29. Previous versions of the bill had no age cap and then a cap at 35. Additionally, the waiting period as a “conditional non-immigrant” has been increased from six to ten years. This doesn’t even take into account the extra three years of waiting to become eligible for naturalization.

If that weren’t enough, the new bill also excludes DREAMers from benefiting from any health care reforms during their 10-year limbo. The new bill also redefines what qualifies as “good moral character”. According to past versions of the bill, a person was eligible if he had a clean record or had committed a crime that carried a maximum sentence of 1-year in prison, from the time the bill was enacted going forward. The new bill counts any crimes committed from the time he or she entered the country. Furthermore, S. 3992 would require the students to submit biometric data—finger prints, models, similarity scores—to be monitored by the nice people at Homeland Security. These restrictions serve to exclude more people and keep more people languishing at the bottom rungs of our society.

Like many in support of the DREAM Act, student activists view any sort of change in the current flawed immigrant laws as a victory. Unfortunately, the new DREAM Act comes with some fine print. And as of the morning of this blog entry, the Senate bill may change yet again, as leadership seeks to avoid a filibuster on the current bill and introduce the House version next week – so we might need to start squinting all over in a few days. No doubt, the need to pass the bill and enact it to benefit millions of students is a priority – we need reform and this is our first step that will change the lives of millions. But I hope that the DREAM Act isn’t being changed into someone else’s dream.

Posted by Sara Veliz, sveliz@miracoalition.org

DREAM Act Holiday Rally

On Friday, December 3, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown hosted a Holiday Fundraising party at an upscale hotel in downtown Boston. The event, open to Brown supporters at $100 a ticket, promised food, drink and musical accompaniment. It also provided an opportunity for over 70 Boston-based DREAM Act supporters to gather in solidarity to encourage Senator Brown to vote YES on the DREAM Act.

United in holiday cheer, DREAMers braved the cold and marched for hours singing their requests for representation and support of the DREAM Act to Brown and his guests.

Sung to the tune of Jingle-Bells:

“Let us learn,
let us serve,
listen-up Scott Brown,
all we want is EDUCATION,
pass the DREAM Act, now!”

The DREAMers voices united in harmony, called Senator Brown to action. Let us learn, please Senator Brown, let us serve, vote YES on the DREAM Act!

The mood was convivial as supporters formed a picket line, singing, adorned with graduation caps, gowns and diplomas. Rally organizers distributed Christmas Wish-lists to event attendees, each list asking for Brown’s YES vote and his support for education so these students could follow their dreams: dreams to become doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, and to economically contribute to this great nation.

Sung to the tune of We Wish you a Merry Christmas:

“We want higher education,
wanna serve in the military,
we want higher education,
so pass the DREAM Act!”

Senator Brown heard their voices on Friday, calling out in unison, for the DREAM Act.

Don’t let the momentum die. Please, add your voices to countless others by calling Senator Brown’s office this week and ask him for his YES vote on this monumental piece of legislation. It’s not too late to make a difference in the lives of countless, deserving individuals!

Be the difference, make the call. Let us continue to DREAM!

In DC: 202-224-4543
In MA: 617-565-3170

Gov. Patrick urges MA Senators to make the youths' DREAM a reality.

The following is an excerpt from the State House News Service:

STATE CAPITOL BRIEFS – LUNCH EDITION – WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1, 2010
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE


PATRICK LOBBIES BROWN, KERRY ON DREAM ACT

Gov. Deval Patrick, a supporter of in-state higher education tuition rates for eligible undocumented immigrants, has asked Sens. Scott Brown and John Kerry to support the DREAM Act, saying in a letter that he anticipated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring it up for a vote this week. In a Nov. 24 letter to Brown and Kerry, Patrick said the act would establish a pathway for immigrant students to attain permanent residency if they came to the United States as children, are long-term residents, have good moral character, and attend an institution of higher learning or serve in the military for at least two years. "We have always been and will continue to be a nation that depends and thrives on the contributions of immigrants and refugees," Patrick wrote. "Our nation and our economy have been at their best when we have welcomed the ideas, work and commitment of our immigrants." Patrick said the DREAM Act would also authorize states to determine for themselves "whether educational benefits would be made available equally to all of the state's residents." Patrick wrote, "I believe that all immigrant young men and woman, who attend our high schools, earn their way into college, and commit to addressing their immigration status, should be afforded the same access to higher education as any other resident." On Nov. 16, Patrick told an audience gathered by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition at Boston's Tremont Temple that he would implement all 131 recommendations in a year-old administration report on issues facing immigrants. The report includes controversial plans to provide in-state tuition rates and driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. House Minority Leader Brad Jones said in-state tuition plans had failed before and would again, calling it a "ridiculous idea" and "a slap in the face to all Massachusetts taxpayers who expect state government to be focusing on stimulating the economy and putting people back to work."

All credit and rights belonging to:

State House News Service - State Capitol Briefs

DREAM Act Now!

The DREAM has been deferred for more than a decade.

Now is the time to act.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act is federal legislation that would provide qualified undocumented US high school students to earn legal residency by serving in U.S. Armed Forces or attend college for at least two years.

While Massachusetts continues to deliberate whether to allow undocumented graduates of its high schools to pay the in-state rate at public colleges and universities, several other states have sparked the debate around immigrants and higher education. Georgia banned undocumented students from its most popular public universities this year. Conversely, California’s supreme court recently ruled unanimously to protect its in-state tuition policy (which 10 other states including Texas already have).

Once again, instead of making progress on educating this group of youths, Washington faces a gridlocked Congress on the issue. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 2.1m people nationwide, almost one million of whom are under 18, would be eligible to apply for conditional legal status under the DREAM Act. After being introduced in the past ten years, the DREAM was tied to the fate of other bills, procedures, and politics. It will finally be voted on this week as a stand-alone bill.

The DREAM Act will not only incentivize education and military service, both of which are smart ways to prepare talented and engaged new citizens, but also develop an already-motivated group of students to contribute to our economy. Most importantly, the DREAM Act will offer these students, who are American in every sense except for their legal status, a chance to learn, serve and add to America’s rich tradition of welcoming all those who work hard.

DREAMers have organized a week of action around the nation, prompting a chorus of support from businesses, faith communities, universities, and advocates – and a spectrum of editorial voices, including: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, The Economist, FOX News, Washington Post

Please join the Student Immigrant Movement, dozens of organizations and hundreds of DREAM Activists near the Boston Common 11/29: DREAM Act Rally: 3-6 PM @ 138 Tremont Street, Boston

For MA residents, call your legislators now: 1-866-996-5161

• Thank all MA members of congress and Senator Kerry.
• Urge Senator Brown to vote 'YES'
• For other senators representing New England, visit: http://dreamact.info/advocacy/senators

Weekend Roundup: Argument for DREAM Act Personified; Remittances in Tough Economy

Sunday's Boston Globe features an article highlighting the impact of the economy on remittances. Despite the sharp economic downturn, global remittances are only expected to decline by 5-8% as migrants dip into their savings to keep their relatives above water oversees. This quote sums it up:

"It's not an option not to send money," said Fatou Diop, a Senegalese immigrant who works as a community liaison at African Services Committee, a non-profit group in Harlem, New York. "When it's hard here, it's horrible in Africa."

Saturday's New York Times had a terrific Op-Ed on the importance of passing the DREAM Act, federal legislation that would give high-achieving undocumented students a pathway to higher education and citizenship. The story of Benita Veliz highlights to barriers undocumented youth face in accessing higher education and, with it, opportunities for professional and personal growth. How a nation can turn down the potential of an entire group of people and relegate them to low-wage jobs is beyond understanding. As the baby boomer generation continues to retire in large numbers, will the U.S. realize too late the wealth of potential that currently resides in the shadows?

...Ms. Veliz is a poster child for the Dream Act, but hardly the only one. For every Benita Veliz, she said, there many others who dropped out because they saw no point in getting a college degree. They are working in low-wage jobs, off the books, their bright futures prematurely dead-ended.

Ms. Veliz’s voice cracks when talking about her case, but she gets excited when asked about her dreams. The words just tumble out:

“I would like to go to law school and be an attorney for a few years, and then after that get into politics on a Congressional level, either senator or representative. I’ve actually always wanted to do international relations, get a master’s in international relations, with a law degree. I would want to do international law, or immigration law, but not really just that, but that’s just one small sort of thing in the long spectrum of things.”

It's time to pass the DREAM Act. Now.

Press Statement: DREAM Act Reintroduced to Congress

Boston, MA- Scheduled to be introduced today, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is bipartisan legislation that addresses the hardships faced by young people who were brought to the United States years ago as undocumented immigrant children, and who have since grown up here, stayed in school, and are strong members of our communities. For the first time, the DREAM Act also enjoys the strong backing of the House and Senate leadership, all of the relevant committee chairs and President Obama.

The following is a statement from Eva A. Millona, Executive Director of the MIRA Coalition about the DREAM Act.

"Each year about 65,000 U.S.-raised students, including at least 400 from Massachusetts, who would qualify for the DREAM Act's benefits, graduate from high school. These include honor roll students, star athletes, talented artists, homecoming queens, and aspiring teachers, doctors, and U.S. soldiers. We cannot turn our backs on these hardworking kids who have already contributed so much to their adopted country.

Passage of the DREAM Act would allow these multi-lingual and multi-cultural students to access better jobs, to pay higher taxes and to add to our economy. A RAND Corporation study showed that an immigrant who graduates from college will net an annual fiscal benefit of more than $9,000 per year, money that can be used to pay for the education of others. This bill makes fiscal and social sense for our country. We urge the entire New England delegation to sign on to this legislation and to fight for its passage."

Action Alert: Thursday, March 26th is National DREAM Act Call-in Day!

Pass the DREAM Act For Future Economic Prosperity!

Call 1-800-574-4243

The DREAM Act, a bill to allow undocumented immigrant students access to higher education and a pathway to legal permanent residency might be reintroduced this week in congress! We need your help to make our voices heard! Contact your elected officials in the US House and Senate (http://www.miracoalition.org/action/elected/ne-delegation) and urge them to support the Dream Act 2009

The time is now to push Congressmen and women to support the DREAM Act in 2009. We have to make the change. And in America, here and now, we can.

Get hooked up. Text "justice" to 69866.

Get informed by visiting here.

For more info, please visit http://www.dreamactivist.org