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Norma Jean Revilla-García
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Higher education officials join growing numbers calling for immediate action on DREAM Act 

Washington, DC -- With commencement ceremonies taking place nationwide, the reality that a dead end looms ahead for an estimated 65,000 undocumented high school graduates is of concern to national organizations who today issued a call to action on the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2009 - DREAM Act, S.729, H.R. 1751). The call to action is a concerted effort by the newly formed “Act on the DREAM Coalition” in support of the passage of the DREAM Act in 2010.

“We are extremely concerned that the interests of many undocumented youths seem to have been forgotten in the debate for Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” said Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. “Although we fully support Comprehensive Immigration Reform, we are not in favor of having undocumented U.S. high school students wait on the sidelines beyond 2010.”  

“As educators who work with students every day and are committed to core values that include diversity and access, many student affairs leaders say that resolving issues around undocumented students is one of the biggest issues they currently face,” said NASPA Executive Director Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy. “Year after year, this issue has fallen prey to political gamesmanship. No matter how one may feel about larger immigration issues, the DREAM Act has bipartisan support and is too important to the future of our students and the future of this nation not to be considered now. The principles are sound, and now it is TIME TO ACT.”

The Act on the DREAM Coalition, comprised of 25 organizations, announced a summer campaign to send letters to members of Congress urging cosponsorship and support of the DREAM Act to provide a pathway to legal residency to remove barriers to higher education for thousands of students who are not legal residents of this country through no fault of their own.

The organizations forming the new coalition are:

• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• American Association of Community Colleges
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• American Federation of Teachers
• Association of Community College Trustees
• Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
• Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
• ASPIRA Association, Inc.
• The College Board
• Council for Opportunity in Education
• Educational Testing Service
• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
• Hispanic Federation
• League of United Latin American Citizens
• NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
• National Association of College and University Business Officers
• National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives
• National Association of Hispanic Publications
• National Immigration Law Center
• United States Student Association
• U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
• University Professional & Continuing Education Association
• William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI) 

The Act on the DREAM Coalition is calling on education stakeholders to send letters to Congress. Information, including a sample letter and the coalition’s policy statement, is available at www.actonthedream.org.

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The Act on the DREAM Coalition represents a broad alliance of supporters committed to the enactment of the DREAM Act. Formation of the Act on the DREAM Coalition is a campaign led by 25 founding coalition members uniting to urge Congress for immediate passage of the DREAM Act legislation. Information is available at www.actonthedream.org.

Funcionarios de educación superior se suman a la creciente cantidad de personas que exigen medidas inmediatas con respecto a la ley DREAM

Washington, DC -- Con ceremonias de graduación en todo el país, la realidad de que un callejón sin salida acecha a un número estimado de 65,000 graduados de secundaria indocumentados preocupa a organizaciones nacionales, que emitieron hoy un llamado a la acción con respecto a la ley DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, Desarrollo, ayuda y educación para menores extranjeros, de 2009 - DREAM Act, S.729, H.R. 1751). El llamado a la acción es un esfuerzo concertado de la recientemente formada "Coalición para actuar sobre la ley DREAM", en respaldo de la promulgación de la Ley DREAM en 2010.

"Nos preocupa sobremanera que los intereses de muchos jóvenes indocumentados parecen haber sido olvidados en el debate por la Reforma Inmigratoria Integral", declaró Antonio R. Flores, Presidente y CEO de la Asociación Hispana de Colleges y Universidades (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, HACU). "Si bien respaldamos plenamente la Reforma Inmigratoria Integral, no estamos a favor de hacer que los estudiantes indocumentados de las escuelas secundarias y preparatorias de Estados Unidos tengan que esperar más allá de 2010."  

"Como educadores que trabajan día a día con los estudiantes y están comprometidos con valores esenciales que incluyen la diversidad y el acceso, muchos líderes de asuntos estudiantiles dicen que resolver las cuestiones sobre los estudiantes indocumentados es uno de los mayores problemas que enfrentan actualmente", dijo la directora ejecutiva de NASPA Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy. "Año tras año, este asunto ha sido presa del juego político. Sin importar lo que uno piense sobre cuestiones inmigratorias mayores, la ley DREAM tiene apoyo de ambos partidos y es demasiado importante para el futuro de nuestros estudiantes y el futuro del país como para que no se la considere ahora. Los principios son sólidos, y ahora es el MOMENTO DE ACTUAR."

La Coalición para actuar sobre la ley DREAM, compuesta por 25 organizaciones, anunció una campaña de verano para enviar cartas a los miembros del Congreso, urgiendo el patrocinio conjunto y el respaldo a la Ley DREAM para brindar una vía a la residencia legal, a fin de eliminar las barreras hacia la educación superior para miles de estudiantes que no son residentes legales en el país sin haber mediado responsabilidad de su parte.

 Las organizaciones que componen la nueva coalición son:

• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• American Association of Community Colleges
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• American Federation of Teachers
• Association of Community College Trustees
• Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
• Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
• ASPIRA Association, Inc.
• The College Board
• Council for Opportunity in Education
• Educational Testing Service
• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
• Hispanic Federation
• League of United Latin American Citizens
• NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
• National Association of College and University Business Officers
• National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives
• National Association of Hispanic Publications
• National Immigration Law Center
• United States Student Association
• U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
• University Professional & Continuing Education Association
• William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI) 

La Coalición para actuar sobre la ley DREAM apela a los interesados en la educación para que envíen cartas al Congreso. Puede encontrarse información, que incluye una carta modelo y la declaración de políticas de la coalición, en www.actonthedream.org.

La Coalición para actuar sobre la ley DREAM representa una amplia alianza de apoyos comprometidos a la sanción de esta ley. La formación de la Coalición para actuar sobre la ley DREAM es una campaña liderada por 25 miembros fundadores de la coalición, para urgir al congreso a aprobar de inmediato la legislación de la ley DREAM. Hay información disponible en www.actonthedream.org.