ACLU Calls On Senate To Pass DREAM Act
Bill Would Help Provide Equal Protection And Fairness For All Students Regardless Of Immigration Status
CONTACT: (202) 675-2312; media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged senators to vote in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act (H.R. 5281), a bill that promotes fundamental fairness in access to higher education for all high school students, regardless of immigration status. Late Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a cloture petition on H.R. 5281 that could set the cloture vote for as early as Saturday morning. The House passed its version of the DREAM Act last week.
The DREAM Act would provide affordable post-secondary education and military service opportunities for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, have lived here for at least five years and have graduated from high school. DREAM has the support of President Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
In urging the Senate to pass the DREAM Act, the ACLU is also urging the Senate to not pass any amendments or motions that would impose undue border enforcement or weaken due process or civil liberties.
The following can be attributed to Joanne Lin, ACLU Legislative Counsel:
“Passage of the DREAM Act would be a watershed moment for immigrants’ rights. It is absolutely crucial to ensure that all young people in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, can achieve their educational and vocational goals.
“The students who stand to benefit from this bill are talented, motivated young adults who have gained admission to college, overcoming many obstacles. Providing these students with the opportunity to pursue a better future for themselves and their families is a quintessentially American gesture and would be a tribute to American values of fairness and equal opportunity.
“The Senate must come together, regardless of party, to ensure all students can access every educational opportunity they have rightly earned.”
A letter from the ACLU to the U.S. Senate in support of the DREAM Act is available at:
www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/aclu-letter-senate-support-dream-act-0
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