New York Dream Act Introduced

"Historic Step: NEW YORK DREAM ACT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Contact: Daniela Alulema 646-472-9565
comunicado de prensa en Español

New York, N.Y. The New York State Youth Leadership Council is proud and pleased to announce that today undocumented youth have prevailed. After the defeat of the federal version of the DREAM Act, which would have provided a path for citizenship to undocumented youth, the NYSYLC started an aggressive campaign to introduce and gather support for the first ever state version of the bill. Yesterday, State Senator Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) introduced the New York DREAM Act (S. 4179), co-sponsored by State Senator Dan Squadrant (D-Brooklyn). This bill would provide benefits to New York undocumented youth who meet certain criteria. The benefits include access to financial aid for higher education, access to driver’s licenses, work authorization and access to health care. In order to qualify for these benefits, the young person must have arrived to the United States before the age of 16, be under the age of 35, have resided in New York State for at least two years, have obtained a high school diploma or GED equivalent from an American institution and have good moral character.

NYSYLC members welcomed the news with open arms and renewed their commitment to fight for their dreams. The New York DREAM Act will help undocumented youth achieve their educational and professional goals, and allow them to contribute to their communities. This is the first pro-immigrant bill that has been introduced in the state this year, and would provide much needed relief to immigrant communities.

What: Press conference on the New York DREAM Act
Where: NYSYLC office – 220 Fifth Ave, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001
When: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 2.00pm
Why: The New York DREAM Act will provide access to undocumented youth to accomplish their dreams and contribute back to their communities

For media inquiries, please contact Daniela at 646-472-9565"

This is great news! I hope they pass this soon..

This is a huge step. NY has always been there for all of us.

Ahhh please let this be!!!

This is awesome!!! I hope it passes for the New York DREAMers.

We so excited. ( Did you get that reference? Yeah, I'm hip on the internet pop culture.)

Another roller coaster ride when I was just getting ready to go back to my country!!!

This is a huge middle finger to the antis!!!!!

:O !!!! Please let it be. It's always been one step forward, two steps back, but hopefully this can lead to awareness....NYC is well known in the US.

We don't even need other benefits. We just need "work authorization" and we can pay ourselves to college and move forward in our lives..