FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 15, 2010

HACU Media Contact
Norma Jean Revilla-García 
210.576.3206

HACU applauds Senators Reid and Durbin for leadership on DREAM Act

DREAM Act is coming to a vote

San Antonio, TX – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) strongly applauds Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Durbin (D-IL) for their leadership in declaring that they will be bringing up the DREAM Act as an amendment to the defense authorization bill. A vote is likely next week. The Obama Administration has also supported the legislation since its inception as President Obama was an original cosponsor of the bill when he was as U.S. Senator.

HACU has taken a strong position in advocating for the DREAM Act as a downpayment on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. In June, HACU launched the Act on the DREAM Coalition which has mobilized higher education associations and other organizations to advocate nationally for the DREAM Act. HACU, however, has a history of long-standing advocacy for the DREAM Act.

“HACU strongly supports Senator Reid’s decision to attach the DREAM Act to the defense authorization bill. We call for bipartisan support for the proposed amendment. Not only is it relevant as a military provision but it is time that Congress pass this important piece of legislation,” HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores said. “The act puts deserving and hard-working young people who attend college or join the military on the path to U.S. citizenship. Later this week, at HACU’s annual conference in San Diego, I will call on our participants to ask their Senators to vote for this important legislation.”

The DREAM Act provides a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants if they were brought to the U.S. before age 16 and have been present in the U.S. for five consecutive years before enactment of the law. They also must have graduated from a U.S. high school and kept a clean record.

About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was established in 1986 with a founding membership of eighteen institutions. Today, HACU represents over 400 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Member institutions in the U. S. together are home to more than two-thirds of all Hispanic college students.HACU is the only national educational association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

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