Taking a courageous stand

"UNDOCUMENTED AND unafraid." That is the powerful slogan of immigrant students who are taking action to demand passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Their struggle is exposing the injustice of a system that victimizes the undocumented--and represents an important front for the immigrant rights movement.

In May, a group of Latino students sat in at the Tucson, Ariz., office of Sen. John McCain. Dressed in caps and gowns, three undocumented students were ultimately arrested and charged with trespassing (along with a fourth who was a legal citizen), risking deportation.

Again in mid-July, students dressed in caps and gowns were arrested by Capitol Hill police after staging a mock graduation ceremony before a banner reading "Undocumented and Unafraid: DREAM Act Now" at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Five undocumented youth sat in at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office to press him to bring the legislation to a vote in the Senate.

Other activists are currently participating in "DREAM Now: Letters to President Obama," a campaign to publicize messages from undocumented teens asking for passage of the DREAM Act. There's also "DREAM University," a series of teach-ins, classes and protests being held in Washington, D.C., organized by a coalition of student immigrant advocacy groups.

In the wake of the passage of Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070 and the push in other states for copycat bills, these protests are even more courageous. But they hold the promise of helping to turn the tide against the anti-immigrant backlash.

The organizing has already had an impact. In spite of the demonization of immigrants by groups like the Tea Party, a June poll from First Focus/Opinion Research Corporation found that 70 percent of people in the U.S. are in favor of the DREAM Act--up from 58 percent in 2004. When asked if states should be able to decide whether to allow undocumented to students to pay in-state tuition, 69 percent said yes.

Yet not everyone is happy with this movement of students fighting for their rights.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the bill's original sponsors, criticized the students who sat in at the Senate office building. Despite the fact that the protest was orderly and respectful, a Durbin spokesman told the press, "Today's demonstrations by some DREAM Act supporters...crossed the line from passionate advocacy to inappropriate behavior...Sen. Durbin believes that we will win this fight on the merits, not through public demonstrations or publicity stunts."

Inappropriate behavior? Publicity stunts? Durbin thinks it is "very unlikely" the DREAM Act will pass Congress before the fall elections. Instead of fighting for the legislation, however, in the grand tradition of the Democratic Party trying to control social movements, Durbin chastises students for asking for "too much, too fast."

MANY ACTIVISTS see the DREAM Act as a potential step forward for the movement--and one that stands a better chance of success in the short term than more wide-ranging reform proposals, given the current climate in Washington.

Under the proposed law, undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before age 16, who have been in the U.S. for at least five consecutive years and who graduate from high school or obtain a GED will be allowed a path to legal permanent residency, followed by U.S. citizenship, if they enroll in college (in pursuit of a bachelor's degree or higher) or enlist in the military.

For the estimated 65,000 undocumented young people who graduate from high school each year, but find that college is closed to them--and that they will face the threat of deportation and second-class citizenship indefinitely--this would be a vital opportunity.

There are real criticisms of the DREAM Act that shouldn't be ignored.

When it was first proposed, the DREAM Act was much better legislation--it didn't include military service as a qualification for the path to citizenship, but did include vocational and other forms of continuing education, as well as community service.

In its current form, the DREAM Act leaves just two options available: getting a bachelor's degree or going into the military. This will exclude many, many young people, as Nativo López, president of the Mexican American Political Association, pointed out in a statement in May:

It should...be acknowledged that the vast majority of immigrant youth, particularly Latino, do not and will not attend college (less than 10 percent), nearly 30 percent do not complete high school, and less than 40 percent who enter college complete the instructional program with a degree. These are horrific statistics on the downside of this social dynamic that cannot, and should not, be ignored when we are considering immigration-related legislation to address the issue of legal status of our youth and family members.

What's more, the DREAM Act in its current form will lure some undocumented young people into the military because they see no other way out of second-class status.

The legislation's sponsors are quite conscious of this. As Durbin explained to the Army Times in 2007, at a time, unlike today, when the military was struggling to meet its recruitment goals, "Under the DREAM Act, tens of thousands of well-qualified potential recruits would become eligible for military service for the first time. They are eager to serve in the armed forces during a time of war."

Activists organizing for the DREAM Act should raise demands for the legislation to be improved by returning it to its original form--in particular, including community service and vocational training as a means to qualify for the path to legalization.

The DREAM Act was a topic of debate among activists several years ago after the May Day mega-marches defeated the so-called Sensenbrenner bill that would have criminalized all 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. At that time, when it seemed possible to win more far-ranging immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for all the undocumented, the DREAM Act appeared to be a half-measure that would deflect attention from the bigger prize. Socialist Worker was sharply critical of the proposal at the time.

But the political situation has changed. Republicans are using the immigration issue to appeal to their right-wing base, and the Democrats are hoping to put off all reform proposals--while the Obama administration continues to ramp up enforcement, presiding over a new high in deportations. Right now, the main Democratic proposal for "comprehensive immigration reform" is packed with harsh enforcement measures and heavy penalties and restrictions that would put the supposed "path to citizenship" out of reach for the vast majority of immigrants.

In this context, if the DREAM Act were forced, by pressure from below, in front of Congress for a vote and passed, it would be an important blow against the anti-immigrant climate gripping national politics--and it would be a testament to the power of activism from below to challenge the racist right wing and win.

The activists fighting for the DREAM Act today are taking a courageous stand that can advance the broader movement to win equality and justice for all immigrants. They deserve our support.