We're Down To The Wire. Will The DREAM Act Come True?

The DREAM Act -- an important piece of legislation that would allow undocumented students who've grown up in the United States access to citizenship -- is slated to hit the Senate floor this week. While many say  that prospects are dim, supporters fear that it's now or never, since passing it will be even harder next year with more Republicans in Congress.

Change.org members can act now by signing the latest DREAM Act petition and demand that this lame duck administration make a move. It could be life-changing for hundreds of thousands of young Americans.

The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act is simple. It would offer children brought to the U.S. before they were sixteen years old a path to citizenship after attending two years of college or serving two years in the military. Currently, young people who've grown up in the United States, excelled in their studies and their lives, and have dreams of becoming a doctor or an academic or an engineer risk deportation to countries they may not feel are in any way their homes. Many only recently discovered that they weren't documented, can't get financial aid, and are finding it impossible to attend university and pursue their ambitions without a social security number.

These are the valedictorians, the thinkers, the dreamers. They're in the United States because their families brought them here. They're volunteering to serve in the military, even, and Congress doesn't want to allow them?

There is so much student activist, community, and even religious support for the DREAM Act out there that it seems incredible (and, let's face it, infuriating) that so many think it's doomed to fail. If there was ever an impressive activist turnout for an issue, it's now, with hunger strikes, sit-ins, demonstrations, rallies, online campaigns, and statements of support from civil rights, faith-based, and political group leaders.

Yet, there are still groups like NumbersUSA that are campaigning against it. Their reasoning? "Passing a mass amnesty bill is not what the American people had in mind when they elected candidates who support tougher immigration enforcement." Also, apparently the DREAM Act is not considered "essential business." Nah, allowing hardworking young Americans to access higher education and contribute to the nation's floundering economy is hardly essential.

We're down to the wire. Sign here to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act today.

Photo credit: DreamActivist