Immigrant groups rally Somerville support for federal bill

On October 6, 2010, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

By Lauren C. Ostberg 

The Dream Act provides a path to citizenship and higher education for young, undocumented immigrants. ~Photo by Lauren Ostberg

Proponents of a hotly debated federal immigration act presented their case at Somerville’s Centro Presente Sept. 30, hoping to put a local face on a highly-debated federal issue.

Somerville teens who will have their opportunities expanded by the DREAM Act told their stories a week after Somerville aldermen delayed voting on a resolution to support the act.

Dimas Aliva, 18, said he left Honduras for the United States when he was 13.  He graduated from Somerville High School in June. The oldest son in a family of undocumented immigrants, he dreams of attending the University of Massachusetts at Boston and becoming an engineer.  He won’t be going this semester, however, because his family can’t afford to pay out-of-state tuition, and, as a non-citizen, he is not eligible for federal aid.

Avila’s story was echoed by several other Somerville students, including those who appeared in a video presentation.

Pauli Munguía, 16, is concerned about the limited options available to undocumented immigrants.   “They are shut down from all opportunities,” she said.  “They came with a lot of dreams, but all their dreams were squashed. Not for lack of effort, but because they don’t have that piece of paper.”

These young voices have been advocating for the Dream Act, a bill that would provide a path to citizenship, and some federal aid for higher education, to immigrants who have entered the U.S. before the age of 16, lived here for at least five years, and possess a U.S. high school diploma or GED equivalent. Then, after two years at a U.S. university or in a branch of its military, the student becomes a legal U.S. resident.

The act has met opposition in the U.S. legislature. It was first proposed more than 10 years ago, and, despite some bipartisan support, it has never been able to pass through both chambers of Congress.  Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown called it “amnesty,” and recently voted with the Republican Party to block discussion on a defense appropriation bill that carried the Act as an amendment. The bill, and with it, the Dream Act, died on a 56-43 vote in the U.S. Senate on September 21.

Somerville-based proponents of the Dream Act, including members of the Welcome Project, the Student Immigration Movement, and Centro Presente, hope that it will pass as a stand-alone bill during the upcoming lame duck session. They anticipate a vote as soon as November.  Student Immigration Movement members visit Brown’s office on a daily basis, and they encourage community members to call or write in support. They are also looking to the local legislature for support.

During a September 16 encuentro with local officials, a student representative asked Mayor Joe Curtatone aldermen to pass a resolution in support of the Dream Act.  Ward Six Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz proposed the resolution during the Board’s session September 28, and they voted to send it to the Committee for Legislative Matters for further review. Gewirtz expects that it will be up for a vote before the Board within the month, and encouraged Dream advocates to attend.

Ward Two School Committee Member Teresa Cardoso planned to bring it up for discussion on Monday, Oct. 4.

Alderman-at-Large William White and School Committee members Adam Sweeting and Paul Bockelman joined Cardoso and Gerwitz in offering their attention and support to Somerville’s undocumented youth.

“We have dozens of kids at Somerville High School who will be denied the American dream if this doesn’t pass,” said Bockelman.

 

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