ACTION ALERT
May 9, 2006
Ask Your Member of Congress to Co-sponsor The American DREAM Act!
The Center for Community Change (CCC) is sponsoring a national call-in day on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 for the American DREAM Act (HR 5131). The DREAM Act would allow high school graduates, who first came to the United States as children and who have lived here for at least five years to apply for legal immigration status, pursue higher education, or join the military and become U.S. citizens.
Under our current immigration laws, undocumented students who were brought to the U.S. by their parents have limited means to adjust their own legal status. These high school graduates have lived in and grown accustomed to the United States and have accomplished the same levels of academic achievement as their citizen classmates, but are unable to choose to go to college or enter the workforce. The inability to choose to become a citizen creates an insurmountable barrier to living a full and enriching life in the country they have come to know and love. The DREAM Act would remove some of the federal barriers to higher education for thousands of children that have the desire and ability to make vital contributions to our society.
MALDEF is a member of the United We DREAM Coalition, a broad alliance of faith-based, education, labor, civil rights, immigration, and children and family advocacy organizations committed to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, who have grown up in the United States are able to pursue higher education, contribute to American society, and obtain legal status in the United States. MALDEF strongly urges those committed to educating all children in the United States to contact their Member of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor the American DREAM Act. You may reach your U.S. Representative by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
For further information, please contact Eric Gutierrez, MALDEF Legislative Attorney, at 202-293-2828.
Wed. May 10: National Call-In Day for the American DREAM Act!
Call your House Representatives and ask them to co-sponsor the American DREAM Act (HR 5131) - a bill that would remove barriers to higher education and create a path to citizenship for immigrant youth.
It is especially important to contact Republicans who have supported the American DREAM Act (previously Student Adjustment Act) in the last Congress.
Instructions:
- Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121
- Request to be transferred to your Representative's* office.
- Once you're connected with the office relay the following message:
"I'm calling to urge Representative (name) to support of the American DREAM Act, HR 5131. As a constituent and a person who cares about the future of our country, I want Representative (name) to co-sponsor HR 5131. The American DREAM Act will allow bright, dedicated young people the chance to give something in return to the U.S. Please tell Representative (name) to sign on to the American DREAM Act."
*If you need help identifying you Representative, please visit www.house.gov and enter your zip code.
The American DREAM Act (HR 5131) was introduced by Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Howard Berman (D-CA), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA).
List of current sponsors:
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
(R-FL)*
Howard Berman
(D-CA)*
Lucille Roybal-Allard
(D-CA)*
Michael Castle
(R-DE)
Mario Diaz-Balart
(R-FL)
Lloyd Doggett
(D-TX)
Luis Fortuno
(R-PR)
Luis Gutierrez
(D-IL)
Jane Harman
(D-CA)
Melissa Hart
(R-PA)
Ray LaHood
(R-IL)
James Leach
(R-IA)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(R-FL)
Martin Olav Sabo
(D-MN)
Ike Skelton
(D-MO)
List of Republican sponsors in the last Congress:
Henry Bonilla
TX
David Dreier
CA
Jim Gibbons
NV
Peter King
NY
Tom Latham
IA
James Leach
IA
Devin Nunes
CA
Tom Osborne
NE
Rick Renzi
AZ
Paul Ryan
WI
Chris Shays
CT
John Shimkus
IL
Rob Simmons
CT
Chris Smith
NJ
Mike Thompson
CA
Todd Tiahrt
KS
James Walsh
NY
Jerry Weller
IL
Heather Wilson
NM
