DREAM Team members remain optimistic despite Senate setbacks to legislation

The House of Representatives passed the legislation by a 216-198 vote on Wednesday with support from 208 Democrats and eight Republicans, but the Senate voted 59-40 to table its version of the legislation Thursday because Democrats did not have enough votes to overcome a filibuster.

If passed, the legislation would allow young immigrants who do not have legal status to become permanent residents after completing a bachelor’s degree or two years of service in the armed forces.

Advocates for the bill had been lobbying Republicans in the Senate to support the bill in one of the final days of the lame -duck session but did not succeed. Senate Democrats plan to vote on the version of the bill passed by the House, but passage is considered a long shot. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told The Washington Post on Thursday that the vote will likely occur next week.

The DREAM Team, founded last spring, participated in a march in Washington in March and hosted a DREAM Act Awareness Week on campus in mid-April as part of their efforts. They have also lobbied for the legislation by writing letters to senators and gathering signatures for petitions supporting the act.

“We have to keep on calling and calling and pushing the senators to vote yes,” said Leticia Garcia-Romo ’13, co-chair of DREAM Team. “And for the ones who have decided to vote yes, [we have to] make sure they still do.”

College Democrats has also actively promoted the act. Micah Joselow ’12, the group’s co-president, said he still believes that the bill could be passed. “I’m very optimistic that they’re going to find a way to make this work,” he said.

Congress also recently failed to extend the tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush, and Joselow said he believes a compromise between the two parties might provide the extra votes needed to pass the DREAM Act. “I do think we’re going to see compromise between the two parties in the coming days,” he said.

The DREAM Team is optimistic that the bill will eventually pass, and many members noted that the act has been dealt setbacks since the legislation was first introduced in 2001.

“It’s always tough when they table it because the bill has been in process for such a long time,” said Sebastian Ramirez GS. “It seems to me that we have been very effective this time around by getting our voice out there and getting our supporters to do something on Capitol Hill.”

The act has personal significance for Ramirez, who first came to New York ten years ago on a travel visa from Colombia. “It’s a tough position to be here when you’re going through school,” he said. “For many undocumented children, it is at this time that they realize that the world is not full of possibilities, that there are huge obstacles.”

Ramirez added that beyond the emotional aspect, the difficulties in securing funding might make it hard for students to continue their education. “A lot of my friends dropped out of high school because there would not be much point in continuing,” he explained.

Many members of the DREAM Team said they joined the group after learning about the struggles of illegal immigrants.

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Alicia Corona ‘13, a co-chair of the group, said she hopes the Senate will pass the bill for the same reason. “There are so many people who are affected by it, they can’t not take a look at it,” she explained.

“We have to keep on working hard and keep dreaming as the DREAM Act says,” Garcia-Romo said. “And not just dreaming but taking action.”