[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19434]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CAPS DREAM VIGIL


  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of the DREAM 
Vigil, a national grassroots effort to raise support for the DREAM Act. 
Many New Yorkers participated in a 5-day fast during the National Week 
of Action for Immigrants' Rights. They did this in part to show support 
for the DREAM Act, an important piece of legislation for immigration 
reform. In a show of solidarity, similar fasts have been organized in 
cities and States across the Nation over the past 2 weeks. The DREAM 
Vigil culminated last week and I commend all of the State and local 
organizations, community members, local leaders and students in New 
York and across the Nation that have participated in this effort.
  Recently, I stood before you and spoke about the importance of this 
month's celebration of Hispanic heritage. Today, Hispanic Americans are 
flourishing in States across the country and I am proud to represent 
the most diverse Hispanic community in our Nation. Yet, I worry that 
far too many immigrant children and families continue to suffer under 
America's broken immigration system.
  This year more than 65,000 immigrant students graduated from U.S. 
high schools only to see the doors of opportunity closed to them, 
through no fault of their own. The DREAM Act, which I proudly 
cosponsor, will help expand opportunities for our Nation's immigrant 
students by placing them on a path to college and U.S. citizenship. Yet 
Members of Congress and this administration continue to put this 
important legislation on the back burner.
  Over the last few years, immigrant students and advocates across the 
country have engaged in an enormous amount of activity in support of 
the DREAM Act. They have met with members of Congress, held hundreds of 
rallies, gathered more than 100,000 petitions, made tens of thousands 
of phone calls to congressional offices, and more. Just last April, 
over 300 students and advocates came to Washington, DC, from all across 
the Nation to express their support for the DREAM Act and to urge 
President Bush to support this legislation. Nearly half of these 
students came from New York, and I was proud to have had the 
opportunity to meet some of them.
  It is important to understand that these students were brought to 
this Nation as young children and have been educated in our public 
school system. They have stayed in school and stayed out of trouble and 
many are valedictorians, honor students, student leaders, and high 
achievers. Yet, because of their immigration status they are often 
effectively barred from pursuing a post-secondary education and the 
American dream.
  Over the past several years I have met many of these students. They 
have also written to me to share their stories of why this legislation 
is important to them. In July, I heard from Alejandra, who came to 
Washington as part of a group of advocates for immigration reform. 
Alejandra also participated in the 5-day fast as part of the National 
Week of Action in New York. She graduated in June as the valedictorian 
of Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, Queens. Alejandra was 
a member of the National Honor Society; a sixth grade tutor; a 
teacher's assistant; an intern with the Global Kids, Human Rights 
Activist Project; and one of 400 students and staff across the Nation 
who were selected to participate in the National Young Leaders 
Conference in Washington, DC, last year. Yet. Alejandra is one of many 
students across New York whose high school graduation was bittersweet.
  Alejandra has done everything right. However, she still struggles to 
pay for college, a struggle that is not based on her merit, but rather 
on her immigration status. Despite all of her hard work, exemplary 
academic performance, and outstanding record of community service, 
Alejandra remains ineligible for Federal grants, loans or work-study 
jobs to help her afford college. Our broken immigration system is 
trying to force her out of our education system and the American dream. 
But, Alejandra is determined. She is persistent, and she refuses to 
give up. In spite of her immigration status and unlike other students 
in her precarious situation, Alejandra has found a way to pursue higher 
education. She currently attends the City University of new York. But 
still, the DREAM Act remains her only real hope of achieving that one 
thing that all Americans yearn and work hard for--the opportunity to 
fully contribute to the land we call home--the American dream. Without 
the DREAM Act, her years of hard work and the education that she has 
struggled so hard to obtain will be meaningless and wasted since 
Alejandra will never be able to put her skills to work legally.It is a 
wasted investment for her and a wasted investment for the American 
people.
  I find it deeply troubling that we allow this to happen in today's 
21st century economy, where a post-secondary education is quickly 
becoming the minimum requirement for higher-earning jobs. Failure to 
provide immigrant students such as Alejandra and all students with 
adequate access to post-secondary education will have devastating 
economic and social consequences for these individuals and our entire 
Nation.
  That is why the DREAM Act is so critical. It ensures that the promise 
of the American dream becomes a reality for our Nation's immigrants--
many of whom are Hispanic Americans--and every American. Results of two 
national public opinion polls demonstrate strong voter support for the 
concept embodied in the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act deserves our Nation's 
full support and I urge President Bush and Congress to pass this 
important legislation this year.

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