Support the D.R.E.A.M. Act--S. 774 and H.R. 1275

The petition

Honorable Members of Congress,

We are writing to ask for your support in passing the DREAM Act.

Under the current law, 50,000 to 65,000 students who are children of undocumented immigrants graduate from American high schools each year. Many of these students have been in the United States for more than five years, but are nonetheless prevented from completing their education or legally working in this country because they were originally brought here by parents lacking immigration status. Most of these students came to America as children, having no role in the decision to enter the United States, and many do not even know they are here illegally. We should not group these students together with the adults who knowingly crossed our borders illegally. The better policy is to view them as the valuable resource they are for our nation’s future, as many are valedictorians, honors students, award winners, class presidents, and student leaders.


The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) is bipartisan legislation, S.774 in the Senate, sponsored by Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar (R-IN) — and H.R. 1275in the House, sponsored by Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Howard Berman (D-CA), and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) — that addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children but who have since grown up here, stayed in school, and kept out of trouble.

The DREAM Act does not guarantee any illegal immigrant the right to remain in the United States, nor does it grant automatic or complete amnesty to its potential beneficiaries. To qualify for immigration relief under the DREAM Act, a student must have been brought to the U.S. more than 5 years ago when he or she was 15 years old or younger and must be able to demonstrate good moral char-acter. Under the DREAM Act, once such a student gradu-ates from high school, he or she would be permitted to apply for conditional status, which would authorize up to 6 years of legal residence. During the 6-year period, the stu-dent would be required to graduate from a 2-year college, complete at least 2 years towards a 4-year degree, or serve in the U.S. military for at least 2 years. Permanent resi-dence would be granted at the end of the 6-year period if the student has met these requirements and has continued to maintain good moral character. The DREAM Act would also eliminate a federal provision that discourages states from providing in-state tuition to their undocumented im-migrant student residents, thus restoring full authority to the states to determine state college and university fees.

Support for the DREAM Act has grown each year since it was first introduced in 2001 during the 107th Congress. In past years it has garnered 48 Senate cosponsors and more than 152 Republican and Democratic House cospon-sors, more than one-third of the House. It has twice passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in bipartisan fashion, by a 16-3 vote in the 2003–2004 108th Congress, and again in 2006 by a voice vote without dissent as an amendment to the comprehensive immigration reform bill. For the first time in May 2006, the DREAM Act passed the full Senate as part of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611).


On Feb. 9, 2004, Senator Hatch submitted a report from the Committee o­n the Judiciary reporting favorably o­n the bill and recommending that the Senate pass the DREAM Act. The bill is currently waiting to come up o­n the Senate calendar for review by the entire Senate. If the Senate passes the DREAM Act, the bill will be sent to the House of Representatives, where it will go through the House’s procedure for bill passage.


We are a community of concerned citizens and supporters of education. We are writing to draw your attention to the large number of members of our community who wish to see this bill passed. We hope that you will help us make our dreams a reality and vote to pass the DREAM Act.








Sincerely,
Respectfully Submitted:
Friends of the DREAM ACt-TEXAS

Sign the petition

Fields marked  *  are required.

* Name:
* Email:
* US State:	SelectAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
* Enter ZIP code:
Comments:
	Display my name as anonymous on the signatures list
	Yes, I want iPetitions to contact me on similar campaigns or petitions.

 

The views expressed in this petition are solely those of the petition's sponsor and do not in any way reflect the views of iPetitions. iPetitions is solely a provider of technical services to the petition sponsor and cannot be held liable for any damages or injury or other harm arising from this petition. In the event no adequate sponsor is named, iPetitions will consider the individual account holder with which the petition was created as the lawful sponsor.