The DREAM Act Has Been Introduced!

It’s finally here!

The DREAM Act has been introduced in the Senate (S.729) by Sen. Richard Durbin (or Papa Durbin) of Illinois and in the House of Representatives (H.R.1751) by Rep. Howard Berman of California yesterday March 26^th.

But wait! Before you start celebrating, let me tell you that the battle is not over yet. The introduction of a bill is only the first step toward success. You NEED to call your senators and representatives and urge them to support and co-sponsor the DREAM Act. Make your voice heard!

In addition to that, everyone should make an appointment to meet with their senators and representatives or their aides. It’s not as scary as it may seem, and you make a better impact by talking to them face-to-face. If you’re interested in doing this, visit DreamACTivist.org's Taking Action page or shoot me an e-mail and maria@dreamactivist.org and I’ll help you through this process. It’s very simple, trust me!

Our friend Kyle over at Citizen Orange has listed 5 simple steps you can follow right now to be a part of this great cause.

1. CALL - The National Council of La Raza has a page to help you call your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://capwiz.com/nclr/callalert/index.tt?alertid=12988601

2. FAX - America's Voice has a page to help you fax your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/speakout/DaretoDream

3. EMAIL - Change.org has a page to help you email your congressional representatives in support of the DREAM Act.
http://www.change.org/ideas/932/view_action/ask_your_congressperson_to_support_the_dream_act

4. PETITION - Dreamactivist.org has the official petition in support of the DREAM Act.
http://dreamact2009.com/

5. TEXT - Text "Justice" ("Justicia" for Spanish) to 69866 to be the first to know when the DREAM Act is introduced. FIRM's Mobile Action Network is an excellent way to stay connected and have maximum impact at just the right moment.
http://fairimmigration.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/action-join-the-fight-for-immigrant-rights/

And now I leave you with a quote by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Chairperson of the Immigration Subcommittee, who stated:

"As a nation, we face an increasingly competitive global market. To effectively compete in this new interconnected global market, we must ensure that we have the most educated workforce in the world. Whether in college or in the military, we must give all qualified young people the opportunity to get an education. These determined and dedicated young people need the chance to become productive members of our society. Penalizing them hurts us all"

GO DREAM ACT!

Take Action!

We are continuing to make progress on Change.org. We recently moved from the 15th to the 14th position on the website and are one of the ideas with the most endorsements! Please, don't forget to e-mail your friends and family asking for their support and vote. Also, contact your local organizations and ask for their endorsement and support as well!

Visit DreamACTivist.org for more information on how to get involved!

DREAM Act 2009!

Another easy way to contribute to the passage of the DREAM Act:

Go to Ideas for Changing America and vote for the "Pass the DREAM Act Now" idea. And don't forget to comment on it!

Why is this important?

The "Top 10 Ideas for America" will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day. We will then build a national campaign to advance each idea in Congress, marshaling the resources of Change.org, MySpace, and our dozens of partner organizations and millions of combined members.

Yes, you will need to create an account but it takes literally 30 seconds to do so! So to summarize this long post: visit, register, vote, comment, make a difference. Easy enough.

Update: We currently have 143 votes and are #1 on the whole site! Keep up the good work, everyone!

Peter Thiel: Billionaire Facebook's Investor's Anti-Immigrant Heresy

Insiders at Clarium Capital, the $5.3 billion hedge fund run by Facebook investor Peter Thiel, are buzzing about their boss's $1 million donation to NumbersUSA, an anti-immigrant group. The donation is an open secret within Clarium, and it has enraged several staff members who joined Clarium because they believed Thiel shared their libertarian ideals. When I asked Thiel if he'd made the donation, an underling passed on a nondenial saying the company didn't comment on "gossip and heresy." A typo — he meant to say "hearsay" — but a suggestive one. Thiel has fallen under the sway of Robertson "Rob" Morrow III, a Christian right-wing thinker who has personally donated to NumbersUSA, and persuaded Thiel to make his own, much larger donation. Source

A Facebook group has been created calling for Thiel's removal from Facebook's Board of Directors. Join the group and invite as many people as possible. Everyone should be aware of the type of people that are in charge of running this social network and hold them accountable for their actions.

Don't Just DREAM.. Act!

As I said before, the DREAM Act is something I have been a sponsor of in the past. Dick Durbin, my senior senator from Illinois and I have worked diligently on the issue. I was a supporter of the DREAM act when I was in the state of Illinois and we were able to get it passed. I think it is the right thing to do. I think it is something that I will continue to work on. -Barack Obama
Source

After this historic election, we now have a democratic president who is an outspoken supporter of the DREAM Act. We also have 57 democrats in the Senate, along with 255 democrats in the U.S House of Representatives. While the odds are certainly in our favor, this does not mean that the road to victory will be easy. We still have our work cut out for us and we should not, in any way, stop fighting for DREAM's passage now. On the contrary, it is now when we need to work harder than ever to make our dreams a reality.

One extremely easy way to help is to go to Change.gov - Of the People, By the People and take a few minutes to let them know that passage of the DREAM Act should be a priority for 2009. Don't let the President-Elect forget about his promise to undocumented students.

Write letters, make calls, e-mail your senators and representatives, help combat the many lies that are spread about the DREAM Act, get informed, etc etc. There are many ways to get involved and do your part to make this happen. Now is not the time to sit around and wait for it to pass on its own. Now is the time to act!