DREAM Act Portal Forum - Hello, from NJ

I am very happy to have finally found a website with people advocating the Dream Act. My story is very similar to the many stories I have read in the forum. My family migrated from Ecuador when I was very young (five years old). My father was fired from his job during one of Ecuador’s worst economic depressions. This caused my entire family to search for a new life in the United States. We eventually settled in my uncle’s house near Newark, NJ. The tourist visas we enter the US with eventually expired and we were illegal in the country.

Since day one of the arrival to the United States my parents prompted me to be an excellent student. Consequently, I grew up obtaining good grades and taking rigorous courses in hopes that I will eventually graduate and enroll in a top university. As time passed and the end of junior year approached, my parents shocked me with bad news. Although, they were finalizing their legal situation in the United States, they told me it would take close to five years for me to become a resident. I was not going to be able to afford to pay the colleges I was planning to attend, since I did not qualify for scholarships or financial aid. I feel deep pain when I talk to friends from high school and they talk about their colleges and universities. I even became somewhat depressed.

Today most of us confront a harsh reality, where we had absolutely no fault. Can any of us clearly say that we had a choice as children or teens to come to this country? We grew up as Americans, yet this very country which we cherish and love has shut us its doors. We have not done anything wrong. We simply want to study, travel, drive, and work as all the other Americans are able to do.

I have cousins and friends who are in the same situation. Many of them are ashamed and scared and are not willingly to do anything but wait. I am not a person that will stand and do nothing. During the start of this school year until this very instant, I have been reading and researching the Dream Act. I know that there are around 65,000 of us out there and we need to be heard. I believe that with the new Democratic-controlled Congress there will be progress in immigration reform. However, it is up to us to be heard and noticed. I believe that the following four months are crucial for our cause. As Senator Schumer, a leading figure in the Democratic Party has mentioned, the Party has planned to draft an immigration reform within six months. We need the legislators to reintroduce the Dream act as a single piece of legislature or as bill which will not die in the Judiciary Committee.

Once again, I am happy to have found people in support of the DREAM. Hope you response soon.