[Sosfbay-discuss] Fwd: Immediate Action needed on Dream Act

[Tian Harter]

*I was asked to forward this by an old friend who is a Quaker Activist.

Tian

*
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=380695305&url_num=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nilc.org%2FNILC_Logo.gif>
*DREAM*

Please send all email responses to vargas at nilc- dc.org 
<Compose?To=vargas at nilc-dc.org>.

*SENATE LIKELY TO VOTE ON DREAM ACT NEXT WEEK! *
****IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED****
/Friday, July 13, 2007/
Today, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) announced that next week he, Chuck 
Hagel (R-NE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) will introduce the DREAM Act as an 
amendment to H.R. 1585, the Department of Defense authorization bill, 
which is now being debated in the Senate. The amendment will need 60 
votes to pass. Its adoption would be a giant step forward for the DREAM 
Act, which would then stand an excellent chance of becoming law this year.
The provisions of the DREAM Act amendment are expected to be word for 
word identical to S. 774, the bill that Senators Durbin, Hagel, and 
Lugar introduced earlier this Spring.  It would provide a 6-year path to 
permanent residence and eventual citizenship for individuals brought to 
the U.S. years ago as undocumented children if they graduate from high 
school and continue on to college or military service.
We do not yet know when the vote will be, and it is possible that 
procedural obstacles could prevent one from occurring at all. But 
regardless, it is imperative for all DREAM Act supporters to call your 
Senators /and /click here 
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=380695305&url_num=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.democracyinaction.org%2Fdia%2ForganizationsORG%2FNILC%2Fcampaign.jsp%3Fcampaign_KEY%3D12129> 
to send an e-mail message to them today, and again tomorrow, and again 
every day until the vote occurs. You can find your Senators' phone 
numbers here 
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=380695305&url_num=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Fgeneral%2Fcontact_information%2Fsenators_cfm.cfm>. 

We expect anti-immigrant groups to spread falsehoods about the DREAM Act 
and to try to inflame their base to intimidate Senators like they did in 
the recent Senate debate about immigration reform. But DREAM Act 
supporters are passionate too. We can and must fight back and match 
their intensity.
*CALL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS AND TELL THEM*
*"PLEASE VOTE _FOR_ THE DURBIN-HAGEL- LUGAR
_DREAM ACT_ AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1585
SO THAT IMMIGRANT STUDENTS BROUGHT HERE AS CHILDREN
CAN REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL"*
*Your Senators' phone numbers are online at:
http://www.senate. gov/general/ contact_informat ion/senators_ cfm.cfm 
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=380695305&url_num=4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Fgeneral%2Fcontact_information%2Fsenators_cfm.cfm>* * *
*To send an e-mail message to your Senators please go to:
http://www.democrac yinaction. org/dia/organiza tionsORG/ NILC/campaign. 
jsp?campaign_ KEY=12129 
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=380695305&url_num=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.democracyinaction.org%2Fdia%2ForganizationsORG%2FNILC%2Fcampaign.jsp%3Fcampaign_KEY%3D12129>*
*What else you can do:*

    * Forward this message to every listserv and everyone you know
    * Post it on blogs, MySpace, Facebook, or other on-line networking
      tools
    * Call in to C-SPAN or other radio or television shows where there
      is some hope of a sympathetic audience (not anti-immigrant
      propaganda sites)

*The DREAM Act in Brief:*
_The DREAM Act is narrowly tailored_
It would apply only to individuals brought to the U.S. at least 5 years 
ago as children, who have grown up here, and who have remained in school 
and out of trouble. They could get a green card 6 years after graduating 
from high school if during that time they continue on to college or 
serve in the military.
_The DREAM Act is not a "mini-amnesty"_
At its core, amnesty is forgiveness for wrongdoing. That does not apply 
to DREAM Act students who were all brought here years ago as children. 
The DREAM Act rewards them for staying in school or serving our country.
_The DREAM Act would benefit taxpayers_
The DREAM Act would provide hope to immigrant students and lead many 
more of them to remain in school. As an example of the fiscal benefits 
of this, a RAND study showed that a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman 
who graduates from college will pay $5,300 more in taxes and cost $3,900 
less in government expenses each year than if she had dropped out of 
high school. This amounts to an annual fiscal benefit of over $9,000 per 
person every year, money that can be used to pay for the education of 
other children. State and local taxpayers have already invested in the 
education of these children in elementary and secondary school and 
deserve to get a return on their investment
You can find more information about the DREAM Act here 
<http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=380695305&url_num=6&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnilc.org%2Fimmlawpolicy%2FDREAM%2Findex.htm>.

-- 
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
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