Chicago Undocumented Youth Arrested: Support the DREAM Act!

Yesterday, 21 undocumented students were arrested in Washington, DC protesting for the passage of the DREAM Act. Nine are members of the Chicago-based Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL). This action was one in a series of coast-to-coast protests students have organized the last few months, demanding that the DREAM Act be passed.

The DREAM Act would enact two major changes in current law:

Permit certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for temporary legal status and to eventually obtain permanent status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if they go to college; and
Eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status.

CRLN and its project, the Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition (CNSC), have partnered with IYJL and are currently working for the passage of the DREAM Act as a step toward comprehensive immigration reform.

Please read the below Press Release from IYJL and articles on the action in DC. And then click here to find out how you can call Congress and demand the DREAM Act be passed this year!

Press Advisory
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 21 Event
Press Contacts:
Jose Herrera 773-632-9992 (Chicago-IL)
Rigo Padilla 773-614-9668 (Washington-DC)

21 IMMIGRANT YOUTH ARE ARRESTED AND RISK DEPORTATION, STAGE SIT-IN AT CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES ON CAPITOL HILL 9 of them are members of the Chicago based Organization, Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL)
WHAT: Press conference in support of our courageous Chicago undocumented youth that were arrested on Tuesday, July 20th Action after their sit-ins at various Congressional offices in D.C. including Senator Menendez, Senate majority leader Reid, Senator Feinstein, Senator McCain, and Senator Schumer offices to ask them to become a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act as standalone.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: 205 W. Randolph St. (outside of the Illinois Republican Party offices)
WHO: Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL) members, Local Elected officials, immigrant advocates of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Latinos Progresando, students, teachers and leaders from diverse organizations across Chicago and suburbs. Members of the Immigrant Youth Justice League will be available for interviews.
WHY: After two months of coast-to-coast actions, including dozens of sit-ins, civil disobedience actions, and protracted hunger strikes by both undocumented youth and community members, they have decided to bring the cause of their lives to Washington D.C. The immigrant youth participating in
yesterday's action hail from Illinois, Virginia, New York, California, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan and is part of three days full of actions at D.C.

On July 20th, hundreds of students from around the nation gathered in the nation's capitol to lobby for the passage of the DREAM Act, including members of the Immigrant Youth Justice League. On this day, 20 DREAM students engaged in a civil action to show the Senate that it is time for the DREAM
Act to become a reality.

As of 7 pm on July 20th, all DREAM students engaged in the action have been arrested, nine of which are members of the Immigrant Youth Justice League, a Chicago based group. Due to these arrests, they are very likely to be placed under deportation proceedings.

-END-
The DREAM is Coming project is a collaboration between multiple organizations, including the New York State Youth Leadership Council, the _Immigrant Youth Justice League_ (http://www.iyjl.org/) , Dream Team Los Angeles, Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance, Arizona Dream Act Coalition, the Orange County
Dream Team, University Leadership Initiative of Texas, Virginia DreamActivist, and DREAMActivist.org. To read the personal stories of the DREAMers, visit http://www.thedreamiscoming.com/meet-the-dreamers/