A group of students who will attempt to walk nearly 3,000 miles from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., in order to convince legislators to pass a federal DREAM Act for the country’s undocumented students held a rally at Sather Gate on Thursday afternoon.
The group plans to leave on Saturday from San Francisco and estimates that its journey will last eight months and span 13 states. Of the four individuals who will walk to D.C. — Lucas Da Silva, Jonatan Martinez, Raymi Gutierrez and Nico Gonzalez — all but Gutierrez are undocumented.
In October of last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California DREAM Act, which allows undocumented students who graduate from state high schools to receive state and private financial aid on the condition that the students seek citizenship.
But the Campaign for an American DREAM, which is organizing the walk, says that a federal version “would allow undocumented students the opportunity to adjust their residency status and become contributing legal citizens,” according to the walk’s website. Previous attempts to pass a federal act have failed.
According to a press release from the campaign, the walk will officially begin at noon on March 10 at the Golden Gate Bridge, after which the walkers will take BART to Berkeley for a rally on the steps in front of Sproul Hall, where Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas is scheduled to make a speech.
Although the four walkers met about a week ago, they have experiences in common. For instance, Da Silva, originally from Brazil, and Gutierrez, of Salt Lake City, put their college educations on hold to walk.
“Making that sacrifice is really the one thing I can do as an individual,” Da Silva said.
Martinez graduated from college in Georgia and spent four weeks in a detention facility.
“We want to talk to people and let them connect a face to the story,” he said of the walk to Washington.
The walkers said they expect to encounter opposition on the road. Da Silva said faith communities will lodge and feed the walkers, although he also expects to camp outdoors. The campaign wants to obtain a van to carry the walkers’ belongings and follow them in case of bad weather, Da Silva said.
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I would rather these illegals have a path to citizenship via Military service or college rather than have them on the streets with no education and limited opportunities. Face it, they are NOT going back willingly and ICE doesn’t have the resources to deport everyone.
Second, The Dream Act doesn’t pay for their education, there is no free ride, rather they are eligible, if they qualify for financial aid aka student loans. That means this is money they have to pay back, and since this program is tied to green cards/citizenship there is a very high probability any loans will be paid back – otherwise their status could be affected, making them a much better bet than a US citizen who may default on their loans.
Lastly, illegals are not just from Mexico, they are from all over Latin American, as well as Europe, Australia, India and Asia. Its not just migrant workers, its people that come on visitor or student visas and never leave, its extended family members, its all kinds and colors of people. The white ones with cute accents assimilate better so we don’t notice them as much – they are also the ones taking the good jobs, as waiters, in boutiques, small biz, etc… I don’t see a lot of people lining up to pick fruit.
[I would rather these illegals have a path to citizenship via Military service}
There's already a pathway for legal immigrants to gain their citizenship via military service. The military needs young men (and women) with at least high school educations and some English-speaking skills, not illiterates who in all likelihood didn't even make it through their own country's equivalent of the 9th grade (which happens to be the limit for compulsory education in Mexico).
[Face it, they are NOT going back willingly and ICE doesn't have the resources to deport everyone. ]
You miss the point entirely. We are not obligated to provide incentives such as sanctuary cities and college tuition. The less incentives we provide, the fewer will come here, which should be our objective, provided you’re not a leftist whose goal is to punish the taxpayers and run the state of California into the ground.
[illegals are not just from Mexico]
I never claimed they were, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of illegals DO come from Mexico and other Central American countries because they are on the same landmass. In addition, the same Mexican government that encourages illegal immigration to the US as part of their national economic policy is the same one that shows far less tolerance for illegals from its own southern border, and prohibits political activity by foreign nationals in its own Constitution. it would be pretty silly to tell those idiot protesters to march to Beijing or Bucharest to campaign for free money for illegals when the biggest offender is next door.
[The white ones with cute accents assimilate better so we don't notice them as much. - they are also the ones taking the good jobs, as waiters, in boutiques, small biz, etc.]
So that would seem to make the argument that we should favor those who already speak English, given we seem to have a problem with illegal Mexicans not assimilating, correct? And if you consider those the “good jobs” (I don’t, which is why I pursued a useful education, not Multi-Culti Studies or some other useless crap providing no useful job skills whatsoever), keep in mind that most people hiring for customer service positions prefer people who can speak English. No surprise there, at least to people who have a clue.
[ I don't see a lot of people lining up to pick fruit. ]
Ah, yes, the old “who will pick our crops if we send the illegals home” BS. In case you haven’t noticed, you ignorant child, the places in this country with the highest unemployment figures during the Great Obama Recession of 209-2013 are places like El Centro (30%), Yuma (28%), Yuba City, Merced (19%), Modesto (18%), Stockton,Visalia (17%), Bakersfield and Fresno (16%). Care to guess what those places have in common?
Immigrants are part of us, our neighbors, friends, loved ones, and co-workers. Their contributions are essential to moving our country forward – these brave young people are standing up for our best values of inclusion, diversity, opportunity – I salute them!
There is a difference between legal immigrants and illegal aliens, in case you didn’t know it.
Tony M, let’s cut the bigotry.
You liberals now think anything that “I disagree with” is bigotry. What narrow-minded losers.
How about walking to Mexico and seeing if they are willing to pay for the college tuition of people who enter THEIR country illegally?
LOL, the Guatemalans and Salvadorans who enter May-hee-co illegally are lucky if all that happens is they get deported
True, but your average pro-illegal-alien goo-goo liberal has no clue what goes on in the world if it’s not covered in either the NYT or on NPR.
The Dream Act doesn’t pay for college tuition. Don’t take my word for it, read for yourself.
Like the article says, it just “ allows undocumented students (who graduate from state high schools) to receive state and private financial aid.”
That means, apply for student loans, which much be repaid. Its not a free ride. Trust me, I’ve been paying for over 10 years and still owe close to $80k.
I’m not complaining, I’m glad we offer financial aid for people that otherwise couldn’t afford to go to college – I’m just saying, no one paid my college tuition. I’m paying it back with plenty of interest.
[The Dream Act doesn't pay for college tuition. Don't take my word for it, read for yourself. Like the article says, it just " allows undocumented students (who graduate from state high schools) to receive state and private financial aid."
They broke the law coming here. What makes you think they are good credit risks in paying it back? In addition, why are we even THINKING of doing this while we have enough of a financial issue funding our own native-born students?
You liberals are clueless, insane, or both.
The financial risk is minimized because if they default they get deported. We would have a record of them, they would no longer be invisible. Plus, if you go to nursing, engineering, med school, become a teacher… Do you really want to risk losing that?
If they go the military route, they risk their lives for us, then they either come home in a coffin or get a path to citizenship. If they are willing to take that gamble, I’m ok with that.
Plus, they didn’t break the law, their parent did and now they are stuck in limbo, they have been raised here, many don’t speak their native tongue nor have any family in their native land. I feel for the kids, the parents, not so much.
Plus, I’m actually a pragmatic, and a fiscally conservative libertarian. If they are going to be here. Lets give them a way to be productive rather than leaving them to feed off welfare or turn to a life of crime.
We fund our own just fine. I got loans, so can your kids.
Can you please explain why, given that we have plenty of legal immigrants coming here already, that we need more illegals? You spend a lot of time arguing for various actions to facilitate their presence here. Once again, there are plenty of people who would be happy to emigrate here legally and play by the rules, so what’s the deal with providing incentives for more illegals to come here?
[If they go the military route, they risk their lives for us, then they either come home in a coffin or get a path to citizenship.]
You seem to be under the impression that the US military needs a bunch of illiterate, uneducated, non-English speaking enlistees, when nothing is further from the truth. In addition, the armed forces already have programs in place for foreign nationals who wish to enlist as a way of working towards their US citizenship (those who have served in any branch of the military know that already, you apparently have not). Seriously now, you seem to be a lot more interested in making excuses for people breaking the law than considering what our country needs, which is NOT more illegals.