The Right to Dream Awake: The DREAM ACT

Madison, Wi.  Contrary to what is generally thought, dream is not a waste of time, in fact dreams, aspirations and ambitions to excel is what very often helps to go through hard times like the present. If this is true for most undocumented workers, that despite all the difficulties still find the strength to work and support their families, it is even truer for young people in our community.

So laws like the DREAM ACT must be defended by the entire community, because something has to be done to ensure a fair education for our youth. The situation of youth in the Madison schools is alarming: According to statistics in the district of Madison on the 2008-09 academic year,12 grade  Latino and black students  are between 20% and 30% less likely to graduate or what is the same, while 9 out of 10 white students pass the course, only 6 or 7 of every 10 Latino graduate. Meanwhile, 10 out of 100 Latino students do not go to the next level in high school, only 2 out of 100 white students do not get the pass for the next year. In both cases these statistics is worse in Madison than in Wisconsin as an average.

Students of color have fewer chances of receiving a fair and quality Education than white students. However, this is not only a matter of race, language or culture but also the economic status of families. Within the group of white students those that are poor tend to suffer the same fate that most Latinos and blacks.

But for undocumented students there are additional challenge: the limited access to universities. For example, until last year at the University of Wisconsin, asked students to pay tuition at the price of a foreign student, depending on the degree from 10,000 dollars to 20,000 or more. This year, thanks to the struggle and dedication of several immigrant organizations now they pay the price of a Wisconsin resident which is much cheaper, approximately 3000 to 5000 not including books, classes, and other expenses. However, access to scholarships or grants is still very limited; the lack of papers means quite often to be denied financial aid to a group of students who need it the most.

Also, another difficulty for students whose parents are undocumented is the added stress of immigration problems. The continued persecution, threats of deportation for one of your parents creates a mood of pessimism and concern that does not help academic achievement.

The DREAM ACT is a good start; we must fight for solutions affecting the majority of students and their families.

The DREAM ACT brings even more options to our youth, the law, if passed, would offer temporary residence, limited to students who comply with a specific rate, no criminal record, good conduct, having entered the country before of the age of 16 years and  before the bill is passed and have remained ever since 5 years. In addition to these requirements, the applicant must attend at least two years of college or the military.

This in itself is a big step forward for several reasons, first recognized the immense potential of young immigrants who literally is wasted due to their immigration status, on the other hand opens the door to legalization, although partial, is a step in a political moment where conversations for reform seem impossible. But perhaps most important is that it opens the door to our community to fight for the future of our children, opens the door to give choices to a group of young people that so far do not see much future in this country that end up in jail poor or at best stuck in low-wage jobs without any protection.

And that is precisely why the DREAM ACT must be taken as a path to our struggle and in particular to develop real solutions that affect most of our youth and not just a minority who can afford to go to college, which has the academically capacity and the advantage of being able to qualify for college.

The DREAM ACT we need has to be much more open. The Immigrant Workers Union calls to  fight with all possible energy for a DREAM ACT real solutions for everyone:

· Residence from high school with right to work.

· Protection for parents of students, specifically not to be deported

· Increasing economic aid both in schools for mentoring, support and education courses in several languages. Approximately 25 billion annually (less than 10% dedicated to the war each year) for Latino students, brown, poor and other groups receive a fair and quality education to ensure that everyone can graduate.

· And the elimination of going to the army as a way to get the papers.

If the DREAM ACT does not include these measures, the reality is that for each student can go to college and take this wonderful opportunity, tens or even hundreds of young Latinos will go to the army, to fight the war, soldiers became in second class soldiers.

Everyone in the community, parents, neighbors, youth have to fight very hard so the DREAM ACT does not become the law that turned our unemployed and undocumented youth into those who died in the front line. It is therefore our obligation to put all the energy, heart and desire on the DREAM ACT 100% demilitarized and with measures that ensure success for most young people and their families.
Together in unity and struggle we can win, not just a DREAM ACT to change the future of our youth but also the amnesty that is the only way to ensure that our children can enjoy a safe and successful future.

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