The DREAM Act is a bill that was rejected in 2010 by the Republican-led Senate, which would provide a path to citizenship to undocumented youth who grew up in the U.S. and graduated from U.S. high schools, only after attending college or serving in the U.S. military.
A group of Latino voters show their support for the DREAM Act during a rally in Rhode Island by September 2011. Photo AP
This is what Mitt Romney said in Iowa:
Latinos protest
Romney's misleading remarks will get him more votes among conservative Republicans -Romney won the Republican Iowa primary elections in a technical tie with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul- but they have also alienated many Latino voters.
ABC News' blog The Note points out:
Latinos are the nation’s fastest growing voting group – with an estimated 12 million set to vote in the election – and, predictably, Democrats have pounced on Romney’s stance.A group of DREAM Act advocates and prospect beneficiaries or "DREAMers" have signed an open letter in response to Romney, exposing his hypocrisy and his always changing positions on this bill and on immigration:
The Obama campaign this week dubbed Romney the most extreme GOP candidate on the immigration issue, and leading Latino Democrats said the former Massachusetts governor’s immigration approach will hurt his standing among [Latinos].
Open Letter to Governor Mitt Romney from DREAMers
Governor Mitt Romney,
You recently stated that if elected president of the United States, you would veto the federal DREAM Act and would not support any legislation that grants in-state tuition for undocumented students.
At this point, we are wondering whether you know the facts about the DREAM Act as your statement appears highly inconsistent considering your political record. Your political history indicates that you once supported several immigration reforms, some of which included the DREAM Act.
· In 2005, you supported an immigration reform plan that Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) proposed and called it a “reasonable proposal”. During an interview with the Boston Globe in November 2005, you showed your support for the bill and said it was not amnesty. The Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005 (S. 1438), which failed to pass in Congress, would have required undocumented immigrants to pay a fee and would be allowed to apply for citizenship.
· In 2007, you also supported the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform that provided a pathway to citizenship for those who entered the country illegally. During an interview with Meet the Press, you showed your support for the bill saying, “My own view is...those people who come here illegally and are in this country, the 12 million or so that are here illegally, should be able to sign up for permanent residency or citizenship.”
· Two months later, in 2008, while running for president for the first time, you changed your stance on illegal immigration and campaigned against it.
· Now, in your second attempt to run for president, you are again opposing creating a path to legalization for the undocumented immigrant population. During a Republican presidential debate in November you stated, “To say that we’re going to say to the people who have come here illegally that now you’re going to get to stay or some large number are going to get to stay and become permanent residents of the United States, that will only encourage more people to do the same thing. People respond to incentives and if you can become a permanent resident of the United States by coming here illegally, you’ll do so.”
Vitriolic, anti-immigrant rhetoric has been the platform for some of the current presidential Republican candidates. However, we want you to set the record straight on the DREAM Act. You have to recognize the positive impact this legislation would have on the U.S. and the lives of the 2.1 million undocumented young immigrants who would benefit from it.
A 2010 study by the UCLA North American Integration and Development Center estimates that the total earnings of DREAM Act beneficiaries over the course of their working lives would be between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion. This translates into greater tax revenue and scores of new jobs. If you are serious about fixing the economy, the DREAM Act is the solution, not the problem.
On Saturday, you said you support creating a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants who serve in the military. In fact, this is included in the DREAM Act. You also said that if elected president, you would veto the federal DREAM Act and that you don’t support giving benefits to young immigrants, such as in-state tuition. Once again, the current DREAM Act does not give undocumented youth in-state tuition or preferences over U.S. citizens. Instead, it would allow each state to decide whether or not to grant undocumented students in-state tuition and would only allow them to apply for student loans and federal work-study programs.
Moreover, your recent stance on opposing a pathway to citizenship is contrary to the wishes of the American people. A recent Fox News national poll shows that 66 percent of Americans think there should be a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but only if individuals meet requirements such as paying back taxes and learning English. Indeed, your current stance will not give you the support from our immigrant community and Latino voters, who will be a determining factor in the 2012 presidential race. According to a Pew [...] Center poll released in December, 88 percent of Latino registered voters nationwide support the DREAM Act.
Over the past 10 years, since the DREAM Act was first introduced, Republicans and Democrats have used us to score cheap political points, and we will no longer stand for that. Even though we are still not allowed to drive, work, and use our college degrees, we have not given up. We will continue to mobilize our communities until we’re given the opportunity to give back to this country we love and call home.
Sincerely,
Maryland DREAM TeamHere is a video with DREAM Act activist Gaby Pacheco being interviewed by Univision News:
El Cambio in North Carolina
Arizona DREAMers
New Mexico DREAMers in Action
Connecticut Students for a DREAM
New York DREAMers
DREAM Team Los Angeles
Trail of Dreams
DREAM Big Vegas
United 4 The DREAM in Charlotte
California DREAM Network
Salt Lake DREAM Team
DREAM Act Oklahoma
Presente.org
Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER)
San Fernando DREAM Team (CA)
Youth Organizers United-Mississippi
CHISPAS in Gainesville
Dreamers Adrift (CA)
Youth Educating Society in Wisconsin
Nebraska DREAM Alliance
Minnesota DREAMers
Long Island Immigration Association (NY)
DREAM Military Service Aspirants
Arkansas Coalition for DREAM
Brooklyn College DREAM Team
Students United for Immigrant Equality (NC)
Texas DREAM Alliance
DRM Capitol Group
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