Waco Tribune-Herald by J. B. Smith
"Local supporters of the Dream Act said they are disappointed but unbowed after the U.S. Senate’s narrow defeat of a bill that would carve out a path to citizenship for some adult children of illegal immigrants.
"The bill, which applied to illegal immigrants who came to this country when they were children, ignited a nationwide movement among young Hispanics.
"Locally, a grass-roots group called the Waco Dream Act Alliance held a rally and organized a letter-writing campaign to congressional leaders.
"Democrats tried to push the bill through in the lame-duck session of Congress before the House falls into Republican hands in January. It passed the House on party lines before dying in the Senate, where its margin of support was 55-41, five votes short of a filibuster-proof majority.
"Republican opponents described the bill as “backdoor amnesty” that would reward lawbreaking.
"A Baylor Law School student and co-founder of the Waco Dream Act Alliance said he and other advocates will continue working for immigration reform, though it will be more difficult now.
“They may be discouraged, but they’re not defeated,” said the student, José, 24, who asked that his last name not be used because his own status is illegal. “We’re still sticking around, and we’re going to keep fighting, not only for the Dream Act but for other immigration issues in Waco.”
"José said the Dream Act is personal for him. He said his family moved from Mexico to Arizona when he was 2, and moving back there would be like moving to a foreign country.
"He lost his in-state tuition and scholarship to Arizona State University while he was in college because of new Arizona laws aimed at illegal immigrants, but he eventually graduated. He plans to graduate from Baylor Law School in 2012 and hopes to become an immigration policy lawyer. But he can’t do that until he gets his own status fixed — something the current law won’t let him do.
"Under the Dream Act, José and other adults younger than age 30 in his situation could apply for “conditional nonimmigrant status,” assuming they had no criminal record and had a high school diploma or GED. They then would have to attend college or join the military, and in 10 years they could become legal permanent residents.
Remaining hopeful
"Another college student who was anxious for the Dream Act to pass was Grecia Cantu, a McLennan Community College student and 2009 valedictorian of University High School.
"Cantu, who came to the U.S. as a 7-year-old, said getting even conditional status would have changed her life.
“Had it passed, I could have applied for a job, and I could have applied for financial aid,” she said. “I would be able to drive without fear of being pulled over.”
"But she said she won’t give up on her education and dreams.
“In our situation, when everything seems bleak, we still have to have hope,” she said. “Having a relationship with God has helped, knowing he has timing for everything.”
"Cantu, an MCC presidential scholar, recently spoke with college President Johnette McKown about her situation at a social function.
"McKown asked if Cantu and other potential Dream Act students could meet this spring with McKown and Bill Flores, Waco’s new congressman, about how to solve the problem.
"McKown said the community loses when young immigrants are held back from their potential.
“We have a lot of very bright young people who are going to eventually hit a wall in what they can do without having citizenship,” McKown said. “They are going to have to live in the shadows.”
"Flores did not return messages seeking comment Monday. In a statement in July, he said he opposed the Dream Act because it “is asking the American people to accept amnesty and forgive lawbreaking before the federal government will even adequately secure our border.”
"Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas joined with other Republicans in voting against the bill Saturday. Both issued statements saying they supported some of the aims of the bill but said they objected to some provisions and opposed efforts to rush the bill through in a lame-duck session.
"Fernando Villarreal, a McLennan County justice of the peace and Democratic activist, said local Hispanic voters will remember the Republicans’ resistance to the Dream Act.
“It’s going to continue to mobilize the Hispanic community,” he said. “It has a very high profile because it’s the young people we’re talking about. These are young men and women who were raised in this country and want to be part of the American Dream.”
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