Hundreds of Students from 15 States Urge for Passage of the “DREAM Act”

Washington, DC – On Monday, June 18, more than 300 high school students from 15 states will rally on Capitol Hill in caps and gowns to urge members of Congress to pass the “DREAM Act,” which would facilitate access to college for immigrant students in the U.S. and allow them to contribute fully to the nation. The United We DREAM Coalition will host a mock graduation ceremony for the students beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, located at 212 E. Capitol Street, NE.

Congressional cosponsors of the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act” (S. 774/H.R. 1275) – Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar (R-IN) – have been invited to address the students at this rally.

If passed, the “DREAM Act” would make a college education possible for the 65,000 immigrant students who graduate from U.S. high schools each year who are currently barred from the opportunities that make higher education affordable – in-state tuition rates, state and federal grants and loans, most private scholarships, and the ability to legally work their way through college. The legislation would restore states’ rights to offer in-state tuition to immigrant students residing in their state and provide a path to citizenship for qualified immigrant youth.

The United We DREAM Coalition is a broad alliance of national and local organizations throughout the U.S. which includes civil rights, education, immigrant rights, and faith-based groups. Among them are the American Association of Community Colleges, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the National Council of La Raza, the National Immigration Law Center, the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, and NETWORK – A Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Service Employees International Union, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and the New York State Youth Leadership Council.

MEDIA ADVISORY

###