Support DREAM Act – up for vote this Wednesday! Call in on 10/23 & 10/24

Every year, thousands of young people’s talents are underutilized. This massive waste of energy and potential hurts U.S. economy, growth and innovation.

Meet Gustavo and Eunice and learn why the DREAM Act will make America a stronger and better place for all of us. http://www.dreamsacrossamericaonline.org/story/video/2007/06/16/gustavos-story

DREAM Video: April 10, 2006

FLOOD SENATE OFFICES WITH PHONE CALLS, FAXES AND EMAILS TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY!
1. Call both your Senators at 202-224-3121 (Capitol Switchboard).
2. Find fax numbers & emails at http://www.senate.gov.
3. Forward this alert to your friends, family, & all your networks. Post it on blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, etc.

BACKGROUND
Last week, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) quietly re-introduced the DREAM Act as a new stand-alone bill, S. 2205. Most likely this Wednesday there will be a “cloture” vote on whether the DREAM Act can be debated and ultimately voted on. This will mark the first time that the DREAM Act has ever come to a clean vote on the Senate floor.

The provisions of S. 2205 are similar, though not identical, to S. 774, the version of the DREAM Act that was filed by the Senators Durbin, Hagel, and Lugar earlier this year. Like the earlier version, S. 2205 would provide a 6-year path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship for individuals brought to the U.S. more than 5 years ago as undocumented children if they graduate from high school and continue on to college or military service.

The cloture motion will require 60 votes to pass. If it fails, the DREAM Act will be pulled from the floor. If it passes, there will be more votes on the DREAM Act as well as on possible amendments. The outcome of these votes will determine the fate of the DREAM Act for this Congress. THE FIRST STEP IS PASSAGE OF THE “CLOTURE” MOTION, MOST LIKELY ON WEDNESDAY. We recognize that this is not the first time this year that we have punched the alarm bell, but THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Word is already getting out about the vote on anti-immigrant websites, talk shows, and cable TV who are spreading their usual falsehoods, and there is little doubt that their angry and fearful base will respond.

DREAM ACT IN BRIEF
The DREAM Act is narrowly tailored
It would apply only to individuals brought to the U.S. at least 5 years ago as children, who have grown up here (but are still under 30 years old), and who have remained in school and out of trouble. They could get a green card 6 years after graduating from high school if during that time they continue on to college or serve in the military.

The DREAM Act is not a “mini-amnesty”
At its core, amnesty is forgiveness for wrongdoing. That does not apply to DREAM Act students who were all brought here years ago as children. The DREAM Act rewards them for staying in school or serving our country.

The DREAM Act would benefit taxpayers
The DREAM Act would provide hope to immigrant students and lead many more of them to remain in school. As an example of the fiscal benefits of this, a RAND study showed that a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman who graduates from college will pay $5,300 more in taxes and cost $3,900 less in government expenses each year than if she had dropped out of high school. This amounts to an annual fiscal benefit of over $9,000 per person every year, money that can be used to pay for the education of other children. State and local taxpayers have already invested in the education of these children in elementary and secondary school and deserve to get a return on their investment.

The DREAM Act impacts Korean Americans and other Asian Pacific Americans
Approximately 1.5 million of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. are Asian Pacific Americans (APAs). 360,000 Korean Americans are under the age of 18. It is esimated that 1 out of 5 Korean Americans are undocumented.