DREAM Act

Protecting the Promise of Plyler in Alabama and Beyond

By Georgeanne M. Usova, Washington Legislative Office at 5:35pm

“This,” said Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez, “is about real people with real dreams.”        

Yesterday, Perez joined the Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali and a distinguished panel at the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court decision that guaranteed equal access to a public education to all children, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. In their remarks, Perez and Ali highlighted the stories of real people: the many children whose access to education—and their dreams—are being threatened as a result of Alabama’s HB 56 and other anti-immigrant state laws.  

Victory! Michigan Lets the DREAMers Drive!

By Michael Tan, Staff Attorney, Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU at 4:42pm

Today Michigan announced that it will allow young immigrants who came to the country as children—or DREAMers—to apply for driver’s licenses, reversing the state’s previous decision to ban them from the roads. The ACLU filed a lawsuit in December challenging the prior policy. The announcement affects an estimated 15,000 DREAMers who stand to benefit from the federal government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program.

Arizona's Denial of Licenses for Immigrant Youths Won't Stop the DREAMers

By Anthony D. Romero, ACLU at 3:40pm

The ACLU and its partners today filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of young immigrants who came to the United States as children

Obama Has Done His Part; Senator Rubio, It’s Your Turn

By Charanya Krishnaswami, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 9:47am

In the midst of an election year in which Democrats and Republicans seem prepared to fight about whether the sky is blue, here’s one thing that both parties actually agree on: the lifeline President Obama extended last week to America’s undocumented youth is not a permanent solution.

Last week the president used well-established executive authority to institute“deferred action” for this class of DREAMers—promising students who are American in all but status—which will halt their pending or future deportations for a period of two years. Although Republicans have criticized the measure as an expedient, short-term solution, the president has made clear this policy is not a permanent fix: “This is a temporary stop-gap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people.” Indeed, the president ended his announcement by calling on the only branch vested with the ability to grant DREAMers longstanding relief: Congress.

Victory! Iowa Lets the DREAMers Drive!

By Michael Tan, Staff Attorney, Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU at 12:46pm

This week the Iowa Department of Transportation announced that young immigrants who came to the country as children—or “DREAMers”—will be eligible for driver’s licenses—reversing the state’s decision a month ago to ban them from the roads. The decision affects an estimated 5,000 DREAMers benefiting from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program, which permits certain young immigrants to remain in the country and apply for work permits on a two-year, renewable basis.

ACLU Lens: DHS Shift on Deportation Policy a First Step toward Reform, but Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

By Steve Gosset, ACLU at 10:20am

In an unexpected move, the Obama administration Thursday said it would review deportation cases against 300,000 undocumented immigrants who haven't committed any crimes and pose no threat to national security.

From now on, each case will be looked at individually, and the government will use "prosecutorial discretion" in deciding which cases to pursue. In other words, common sense and fairness may finally be a part of the deportation equation.

Pulitzer Prize Winner on DREAMing of a Better Future for Children of Immigrants

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 5:34pm

Today's New York Times features an amazing, first-person account by journalist Jose Antonio Vargas about his life and career as an undocumented immigrant. Vargas writes about meeting the courageous students who have risked deportation by coming forward to advocate for passage of the DREAM Act, legislation that would provide a path to citizenship to undocumented youth who complete two years of college or military service.

DREAM Act Passage in Maryland Should Spark Federal Action

By Sirine Shebaya, ACLU of Maryland & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 9:32pm

Last night was a watershed moment for immigrants’ rights in Maryland. Faced with federal inaction and a stalemate on immigration reform, Maryland stepped in to ensure that none of its children are left behind. 

Voters in the state overwhelmingly approved Question 4, a ballot measure known as the Maryland DREAM Act, which expands access to higher education for all of Maryland’s students, regardless of their immigration status. We hope that this move will inspire the incoming Congress to act decisively to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

House Republican Discloses a (Watered-Down) DREAM—What About the President?

By Charanya Krishnaswami, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 6:15pm
What happens to a DREAM deferred? In 2010 Senate Republicans defeated the bipartisan legislation, which offered a path to citizenship for DREAMers—promising undocumented youth headed to college or the military, most of whom were brought to the United States at very young ages through no fault of their own. But now, the same party that stamped out DREAM is attempting to bring it back—somewhat.

Plyler’s Legacy Goes to College

By Michael Tan, Staff Attorney, Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU at 2:23pm

Adriana Sanchez, whose story was recently reported by the Associated Press, was brought from Mexico to Central California at age twelve by her parents, who are both farm workers. The family overstayed their visas. As the AP explained:

Even though Sanchez excelled in high school, she was in the country illegally, lacked a Social Security number and work permit, and didn’t qualify for financial aid. But she volunteered hundreds of hours and paid her way through college and graduate school with a dozen internships. Now 24, Sanchez graduated last week from California State University, Fresno with a master’s degree in International Relations, a full-time job [as an independent contractor] and no loans to repay.

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