Labor & Employment Law

Now Is Time to Pass DREAM Act

By James Parks

In the highly competitive global economy, it doesn?t make sense to throw away the talents of our nation?s brightest and best high school graduates. But that?s exactly what we do every day by denying nearly 65,000 undocumented high school graduates a path to decent jobs and shutting the doors of higher education and the military to them.  

 The AFL-CIO Executive Council at its August meeting pointed out that these children?who were brought to this country by their parents?have grown up in the United States, attended local schools, and have demonstrated a sustained commitment to succeed in the educational system,. But immigration laws provide no avenue for these students to become legal residents.

Rather than being allowed to continue to excel in college as they have in high school, the Council statement said

These promising children will be forced into a job where they will have to either lie about their status, or work off the books. Neither outcome is just, nor is it good for our society. 

The Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, would remedy this situation by allowing undocumented students who have lived in the United States for at least five years and have graduated from high school or received a graduate equivalency diploma (GED) to legalize their immigration status by pursuing a college education or serving in the U.S. military.

The Council called on the Congress to muster up some political will and act to help these students make a positive contribution to our society.

The time to act is now.

The AFL-CIO calls on members of Congress to take immediate steps to pass the DREAM Act in 2010 as down payment to comprehensive immigration reform. 

Check out the Council statement, ?Making The Dream A Reality? here.

Just how strongly people believe these students should be able to live the American Dream was clear as 10 students in California waged a 15-day hunger strike, which ended Wednesday night. They went without food for more than two weeks to urge Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to act to move the DREAM Act forward. They ended their hunger strike with a candle light vigil at Feinstein?s Los Angeles office after Feinstein said she would support the bill. More than 300 people visited the hunger strikers to show their support. 

In May, students held a sit-in at Sen. John McCain?s (R-Ariz.) Tucson office to push for his support of the DREAM Act. McCain says he will not vote for the bill.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on August 06, 2010 (boomark / email).