This may be the last chance for the DREAM Act to pass this year as the intense debate continues in Congress this week. Many of you have helped a lot along the way, and we need you again now to help dispel myths about the DREAM Act, and to keep up the pressure on Congress to do the right thing for undocumented students and for our country.
Yesterday the daily congressional newspaper The Hill published a letter by NAFSA’s CEO and Executive Director Marlene M. Johnson titled, DREAM Act is humane, good for the US economy. This letter reiterates several important facts about the DREAM Act which have been misrepresented in the current debate.
There are 3 simple things you can do to help, too:
- Contact your member of the House of Representatives and ask him/her to vote in favor of H.R. 1751, the DREAM Act, when the bill comes up for vote on the floor later this week. The anti-DREAM Act groups are generating a large volume of calls and letters to the Hill every day. We need to be sure that those offices are also hearing from pro-DREAM Act voters too!
- After you have contacted your member in the House of Representatives, let your Senator know you support the bill. The Senate plans to vote to continue debate on the DREAM Act later this week.
- Help spread the word to others about this important bill. You can share this blog post with your friends, neighbors, family members, and colleagues. You can also share the following resources:
- Connecting Our World campaign page: Reaching for a DREAM
- NAFSA letter to editor: DREAM Act is humane, good for the US economy
- NAFSA fact sheet: The DREAM Act: Myths and Facts
While we don’t know if the DREAM Act will pass this year, your voices can and will make a difference in educating Congress and your local communities about the facts and value of the DREAM Act.