Don't Let Our Immigration System Crush Their Dreams

For some students, fall signals the beginning of college, the next exciting step of their lives. Yet for many immigrant students who have attended U.S. schools for most of their lives, maintained upstanding records, and worked hard to realize their full potential, this season will bring them face to face with the challenges of our broken immigration system as they find themselves unable to pursue higher education or fully contribute to our country due to their immigration status.

Take action below to support these students.

Join advocates from across the nation by taking part in a "Back to School Day of Action" on Wednesday, September 23 to build support for the "Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act" (S.729) and the "American Dream Act" (H.R. 1751), bipartisan proposals that would remove barriers that prevent immigrant students from attending college and establish a path to legal status for those who satisfy higher education or military service requirements.

Let your voice be heard too. Tell your members of Congress to support the “DREAM Act” and advance sensible immigration reform!

Don't let our broken immigration system determine the fate of these talented students. Send your members of Congress a message by taking action below today!

This month in...

Health
Did you listen to President Obama’s speech on health care? The president outlined provisions that would be of great benefit to the Latino community. Yet opponents of reform continue to vilify immigrants who will contribute their fair share to health care reform and need health care too. Click here to find out the truth about immigrants and our health care system (available in English and Spanish).

Economy and Employment
In honor of Labor Day, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) released a groundbreaking report about Latino workers. Read the report: Fractures in the Foundation: The Latino Worker’s Experience in an Era of Declining Job Quality.

Education
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans is hosting a series of Community Conversations. Most recently, sessions were held in Denver, Tuscon, and Dallas. Keep watching the Department of Education’s website to find out when you can talk to the Obama administration about the state of Hispanic education in your town.

Wealth-Building
Read NCLR’s letter asking for improvements to the president’s Making Home Affordable loan modification program, which focuses on long-term solutions for homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Recommendations include halting foreclosure proceedings once a family enters the loan-modification process. Counselors from the NCLR Homeownership Network have successfully secured loan modifications for many families. However, challenges with the system are allowing thousands to fall through the cracks.

Juvenile Justice
Check out a recent study by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice titled A Pivotal Moment: Sustaining the Success and Enhancing the Future of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), which has identified ways to advance policy leading to long-term improvements for many youth of color in the juvenile justice system. NCLR fully supports reauthorization of JJDPA, a policy that will increase support for government agencies and community organizations that work to appropriately address youth contact with the juvenile justice system.