Make These DREAMS a Reality-Pass the DREAM Act!

Earlier this week Pedro Ramirez, the student body president at Fresno State University, was ousted as being an undocumented immigrant by an anonymous tip. Ramirez was brought to the United States by his parents at the age of 3. He has stated that he did not learn about his undocumented status until he attempted to apply for scholarships as a senior in high school. Despite his legal status, Ramirez was enrolled at Fresno State where he ran for student body president last spring. Although he did not declare himself undocumented during the race, he did inform school official and denied the $9,000 salary that is offered for the position. Despite the fact that the California Supreme Court newly preserved a law (AB540) that allows undocumented immigrants to pay the less expensive in-state tuition, CSU and UC tuition rates continue to increase at alarming rates which makes it that much more difficult for an undocumented student to afford college.

This is only one of several recent events that have placed a greater focus on the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act which is a proposed bill that would grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants who came to America before the age of 16, attended 3 years of high school and graduated (or obtained a G.E.D.) in the US and complete at least two years of college or serve two years in the US Military.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama announced at a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that he wants action to be taken so that Congress can pass the bill by December 31. Then, on Wednesday Harry Reid vowed to bring the DREAM Act to a Senate vote during this upcoming lame-duck session in a tweet stating, "I will move the DREAM Act as a standalone bill in the lame duck. It's good for the economy & Pentagon says good for natl security."

Still asking why comprehensive immigration reform is relevant for Feminists? For one reason, The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health has declared that undocumented immigrant women are greatly affected by our current immigration policy. Undocumented women are more prone to work in positions that are underpaid, harmful to a person's health, and lack any benefits. These women do not have health insurance and are "less likely to receive adequate reproductive health care, including cervical and breast cancer screening and treatment, family planning services, HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, accurate sex education and culturally and linguistically competent services." The passage of the DREAM Act and an overall comprehensive immigration bill will help immigrant women protect their reproductive rights through an education that will be beneficial for them after they've been granted citizenship.

Add your name to the sign-on letter and show that we will not stop fighting until the DREAM Act is sent to the President's desk:

http://my.barackobama.com/DREAMact

Check back for the latest news on The DREAM Act and immigration reform.

Photo courtesy of flickr.com/DreamActivist

Immigration Policies Inconsistant with American Ideals

Immigration is a hot topic that invokes very strong feelings on both arguments of the issue. It is also very much a feminist issue. The majority of immigrants are now women and they are suffering the backlashes.

Yesterday, I attended an Immigration Reform Conference sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and the debate over immigration has many layers. The question arose of whether the U.S. is experiencing an immigration crisis or not. Perhaps it is not a crisis for those who enjoy U.S. citizenship, but for those undocumented "illegals", it is very much a crisis. There are an estimated 12 million undocumented persons living in the U.S. today who are exploited, discriminated against, and treated like second-class citizens who are denied the protection of the U.S. constitution.

Undocumented persons are denied their fundamental human rights and this practice clashes with American ideals. There is a huge gap between what the government preaches and what they actually practice. The very fabric of this country was built upon immigration, and American values preach the beauty of the melting pot and diversity. America was also built with the ideal that all human beings all created equal and therefore are all entitled to fundamental human rights. But this ideal is destroyed by our reality of "illegals" being treated like animals. The U.S. is constantly separating families, immigrant workers suffer from low wages, dangerous and harsh working environments. Immigrants are raped, murdered and made the target of other violent crimes because they are least likely to report crimes to police in fear of being deported.


It was suggested by one of the panelists at the conference that the immigration debate continues to surface during harsh economic times. The dialogue is used as a tactical poly by politicians in an attempt to single out a scapegoat and deflect attention from their own mistakes made in office. Immigrants are socially constructed as the "other" and their image is infused with negative perceptions as un-desirable and inferior. This fuels the grounds for discrimination against immigrants.

But it is important to note that not all immigrants are discriminated against equally. When one uses the word "immigrant", they are often referring to Mexicans and people from south and central America. Latino or Hispanic immigrants are hit the hardest by this discrimination and are the target of anti-immigration legislation. One only needs to look at the new Arizona immigration laws that encourage racial profiling and racism against Mexicans.

The misconception that fuels this discrimination against Latinos/Hispanics is centered around the premise that immigrants are taking jobs that belong to American citizens. However, this is simply not the case. Immigrant labor does not drain the economy, it fuels it. There are also strong historical ties between the U.S and Mexico/central America that keeps immigrants traveling to America, another fact that is constantly ignored.

Americans have mixed feelings about immigration, but there is absolutely no reason to discriminate against people who are fighting for a better life. Most immigrants are extremely hard-working, family oriented and share the ideals of the American Dream.