Students meet with Rep. Hill’s staff to voice support of DREAM Act

Some IU students are pushing congress members to vote in favor of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act.

Seven members of DREAM IU, a student advocacy group for the DREAM Act, met with members of U.S. Rep. Baron Hill’s, D-9, office in Bloomington to persuade Hill to
vote favorably.

The DREAM Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-IN, and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin ,D-IL, in March 2009, would provide incentive for young illegal immigrants to attend college or perform military service.

The act would allow those who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and are under 35 years of age to obtain temporary legal status after completing high school, a GED or being admitted to college, according to National Immigration Law Center.  

Immigrants who serve in the military or attend college for two years would be granted permanent legal status.

In May, IU President Michael McRobbie wrote a letter to Sen. Lugar to show support of the Act.

“Enacting the DREAM Act would truly open the door to a better life for thousands of individuals who were born elsewhere but now consider the United States their home,”
McRobbie wrote.

The U.S. Congress is predicted to vote on the DREAM Act this week.

Trent Deckard, District Director for Rep. Hill, thanked the students for presenting their side of the issue.

He said he and Jason Karns, field representative for Hill, receive a lot of feedback from constituents regarding proposed legislation.  

“This is a huge part of that decision-making process,” Deckard said.

Junior Ivonne Romo said DREAM IU was recognized last year by the University as one of the most civilly engaged and progressive on-campus organizations.

She said the group has written more than 150 letters to Hill’s office and to McRobbie to persuade them to support the act.

Romo said the act is intended to be bipartisan, though more Democrats favor it than Republicans. She said 11 Republican senators have voted for it so far.

Graduate student Juan Berumen addressed some of the opposition the act has received. Many opponents believe the act would encourage or reward illegal immigration.

“That’s unfounded,” Berumen said. “People come to this country for opportunity. As long as the U.S. is economically sound, people will come.”

Berumen talked about the attempt in California to lessen immigration by denying illegal immigrants government services, such as health care. He said it didn’t stop the flux of immigrants.

Berumen said adults who attend college and are able to find work after are likely to have a positive impact on society, while adults who are unable to attend college or find work often turn to crime.

“It’s a decision of what impact we want them to have on society,” Berumen said.

Junior Minelle Amezquita is one of the three members of the group currently on a hunger strike in support of the act. She said it was her eighth day Tuesday without food, and she was very tired.

Amezquita began to cry as she told Deckard about friends in high school who attended the same classes as her and graduated with her but were unable to apply to college because they were not legal residents.

“We’ve been through everything together,” Amezquita said, “but only I can continue
my dream.”