The Federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM ACT and previously introduced as S.729/H.R. 1751, is a legislation that would permit “undocumented” youth conditional legal status and eventually citizenship status once they meet ALL the following requirements:
• Entered the U.S. before the age of 16,
• Are under the age of 35,
• have lived in the U.S. continuously for 5 years,
• graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED,
• have good moral character with no criminal record and
• attend college or enlist in the military.
We, the youth base of Union del Barrio, Base Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, full-heartedly denounce the military component of the DREAM Act. We as an organization are against any legislation that would lead to the militarization of our brothers, sisters, friends and community. Many DREAM Act supporters do not realize that by supporting the DREAM Act with the military component they are also supporting the inhumane War in Iraq, the slaughter of thousands of immigrants at the border, and undemocratic military coupes in “Nuestra America”. The deaths and inhumane treatment of our gente will be implicated by your own selfishness. The militarization component is not the only problem with the DREAM Act. There are no options for citizenship within the DREAM Act for students who have been pushed out of the educational system or who are thirty-five and over. We call for a Dream Act that will not have a life or death choice for our youth, especially when many undocumented students come from poorly funded high schools in working-class neighborhoods where Army recruiters outnumber college recruiters. Army recruiters make many promises to our youth. For instance, the army promises to pay for college, traveling around the world and a path to citizenship. We as Union del Barrio understand that the American government has created a poverty draft supported by the cuts on education. Given the current financial crisis and the push-out rates at our schools, joining the Army is becoming a more attractive option for our youth.
It is extremely important for Union del Barrio to make the following three points clear. First, our enemies are not the DREAM Act supporters; our enemy is capitalism and imperialism. Second, we DEMAND a humane and immediate “legalization” for all “undocumented” people in these occupied territories. Third, the legalization of people is only one step towards the liberation of “Nuestra America.” An education is NOT a Privilege, it is a HUMAN RIGHT!! We should not let the Dream Act or any law deny or restrict us that right!