Tell your Senator to support the DREAM Act!

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bill that would allow young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States before they turned 16 a path to U.S. citizenship through education or military service and it will be introduced right after the Thanksgiving break!

NLIRH supports the DREAM Act, but have several points of concern in the legislation that specifically impact Latinas - including the need to add protections so that enlisted Latinas are not retaliated against for reporting sexual assault.  Despite these concerns, NLIRH sees this bill as a critical first step towards advancing comprehensive immigration reform.

We need you to urge your Senator to support the DREAM Act, and demand that adequate protections are included so that enlisted immigrant women do not jeopardize their legal status if they bring a claim of sexual assault or rape against their superiors.

Educational attainment is one way that Latinas can have access to information, resources and services that will help them make informed and autonomous decisions. This bill, in addition to providing a much-needed route to lawful citizenship to the country many immigrant young people call home, would give students the opportunity to be eligible for federal financial aid, currently an insurmountable barrier for many undocumented immigrants trying to go to college.

Please join us in taking action!