FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition Calls for Swift Passage of the DREAM Act

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, 503.269.5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, 503.488.0263 

Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition Calls for Swift Passage of the DREAM Act

Salem, Ore.--Today, Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) announced the reintroduction of "Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.  They were joined in support by a group of Senators and Representatives from both sides of the aisle.

The DREAM Act would restore states' rights to determine residency requirements for in-state tuition and establish a path to legal status and eventual citizenship for undocumented youth. These measures would address significant barriers to the success of hardworking immigrant students who were brought to this country at a young age and desire to fully contribute to American society.

"This bipartisan bill is a crucial part of the kind of real, comprehensive immigration reform our country needs right now to get back on its feet and restore justice to our laws" said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA. "The Dream Act would strengthen the economy down the line by making sure that students educated in American schools can give back to the system through their hard work, service, and taxes."

CAUSA joins with Immigrant Rights and Education Advocates from across the nation in calling on Congress to swiftly pass the DREAM Act.  America is a country founded on the values of inclusiveness, shared responsibility and shared sacrifice. Our immigration policies must reflect our values. The DREAM Act and just and humane immigration reform should be part of any plan to restore America and the American Dream.

We can no longer afford to wait on passage of the DREAM Act and fair and just immigration reform. We need action now.  Our country has been weighed down by a broken immigration system for too long. We cannot get this nation back on track until we pass immigration reform that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows and gets everyone on a level playing field.

CAUSA is Oregon's statewide, grassroots immigrant rights coalition. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

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