Daniella Alulema of the New York State Youth Leadership Council has a degree in accounting, but the Ecuadoran native says she can’t put her education into action because of her immigration status. She says she was looking forward to seeing Congress pass the DREAM Act, which would give undocumented youth education opportunities while on a conditional path to citizenship. Advocates of expanded immigrant rights argue the agency’s actions do not match its rhetoric, particularly over enforcement programs that are meant to target “the worst of the worst.” The key immigration enforcement initiative, a finger-print sharing program called Secure Communities, is supposed to help ICE find undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes and may be a danger to others. But the program also nets a large number of undocumented immigrants who are never convicted of crimes, including women who call the police to report domestic violence or people who are brought in on charges that are later dropped.
New York
Both the Senate and Assembly have versions of a bill that would provide benefits to New York undocumented youth who meet certain criteria. The benefits include access to financial aid for higher education, access to driver’s licenses, work authorization and access to health care. To qualify, the young person would have had to come to the U.S. before age 16, lived here for at least two years and apply for the benefits before they turn 35. Unlike its federal counterpart, the bill would not offer those immigrants a path to legal residency. But it would give some of them certain rights now granted only to legal residents and citizens, including the ability to hold some state jobs — a provision that appears to challenge federal laws that prohibit the hiring of undocumented workers.
Coming Out
Several “Coming Out” events were held in New York, including one at Union Square where 20 Dreamers shared their personal immigration stories. The New York State Youth Leadership Council sponsored the Union Square rally and co-wrote the New York Dream Act with Perkins. After the federal Dream Act failed in Congress in December, supporters of the legislation decided to wage the fight state-by-state, hoping to create momentum for national legislation that will offer a pathway to citizenship, in addition to the provisions included in the state bill.
There's no turning back, We will win.We are winning because ours is a revolution of mind and heart . Cesar Chavez
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