Discussing the DREAM Act

Release date: November 14, 2007 |

The U.S. Senate recently shot down the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a bill that would provide a path to American citizenship for immigrant students and those wishing to join the U.S. military.

On Wednesday, November 14, Goucher professors Rob Koulish and Nsenga Burton will be joined by representatives from the Latino and immigration-based advocacy group CASA of Maryland to discuss the DREAM Act and how immigration is portrayed by the media.

The event will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the T Piano Room; all viewpoints are welcome.

The DREAM Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate in November 2005 by Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-IL. The bill would allow immigrants who entered the United States five years before the legislature was passed and who were younger than age 16 at the time of entry to be eligible for a six-year conditional residency status after they completed an associate’s degree or two years of military service. At the end of the six-year conditional residency, the applicant would be able to apply for U.S. citizenship as long as he or she demonstrated good moral character.

This bill would stand to impact about 60,000 young people who have grown up on American soil, but who have inherited the title “illegal immigrant” from their parents.

In late-October, the U.S. Senate killed the DREAM Act because the measure lacked the 60 votes it needed to be debated on the Senate floor. The future of the DREAM Act is uncertain, and Democratic leadership has stated that the measure is unlikely to be considered again until 2009.

This event is co-sponsored by Hispanic Organization for Learning and Awareness (¡HOLA!), El Fusil, and the Office of Community Living and Multicultural Affairs.