Immigrant students rally for Dream Act

Despite the promise of a veto from the Governor the Minnesota Dream Act is picking up steam again at the Capitol.

The bill, already law in 10 other states, would allow children of undocumented immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

Tuesday hundreds of immigrant students made a direct appeal to lawmakers, in an day of marching and lobbying in St Paul.

"One two three four, we don?t want to mop the floor!" was the dominant chant. Many of the students told KARE 11 News they take that to heart, a genuine concern they face a life working low income jobs because of the barriers to college.

The young activists face an uphill battle, not unlike the steep climb they made up Cedar Avenue in route to the Capitol steps.

Governor Pawlenty made a pledge to block the Dream Act as part of his successful reelection campaign. His TV ads on the immigration issue told viewers, "We don't even give that to kids from Iowa."

When the Dream Act made it through the Minnesota Senate in 2005 as part a larger education funding bill, the Governor threatened to veto entire spending package until that language was removed.

But the children of illegal immigrants who marched to the Capitol Tuesday were greeted by some friendly faces.

"Que bello ver la cara linda de mi gente immigrantes!" declared Rep Carlos Mariani, D-St Paul.

Loosely translated that's Spanish for "How beautiful it is to see the pretty faces of my immigrant people."

Or, as Mariani put it himself, "It's great to see the wonderful beautiful faces of our immigrant young people! Our Latinos, our Africans, our Asians. You are America!"

Mariani was joined by Sen Sandy Pappas of St Paul, the long-time sponsor of the Dream Act in the Senate, and by newcomer Patricia Torres Ray.

"Your parents came here so you can go to school, so you can graduate, and here you are!" said Sen Torres Ray, a Minneapolis Democrat who holds the distinction of being the first Latina ever elected to the Minnesota Senate.

"You Are going to go to college! We are going to do this this year!"

The Dream Act sailed through the Higher Education Budget subcommittee on Tuesday and appears headed for passage again in the Senate. It faces a tougher fight in the House, even with the DFL holding a majority there.

If the Governor vetoes the bill, as promised, supporters would be forced to find allies willing to override that veto. That's exactly what happened in Nebraska last year when the Unicameral passed the Dream Act and then overrode Gov Dave Heineman's veto to make it law.

Demographic projections point to a labor shortage in coming decades, and the meat processing industry already relies heavily on immigrant labor. The recent federal immigration raid on a Swift plant in Worthington sparked a new round of debate on the immigration issue in Minnesota.

But even DFL gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch wouldn't buy into the Dream Act during the 2006 campaign. He told KARE 11 prior to the DFL state convention that many Democratic delegates from greater Minnesota were not warming up to the idea of the Dream Act.

Student lobbyists

After the rally Monday students fanned out across the Capitol complex in search of legislators to lobby. Among them was Park Center High School sophomore Karen Ortiz-Lopez, who came here from Mexico at age 7 with her mother.

"One of my biggest dreams is being a doctor, being a nurse, helping people with injuries," said Ortiz who would also like to become a US citizen.

"I?ve been here nine years and my mom?s been saying you are American because you?ve been here since you were little," she explained.

"I can?t go back to Mexico, pretend everything didn't happen, just erase it and have another education there."

It was a thought echoed by Park Center senior Jose Angel, who came to Minnesota with his parents at age 11. Staying behind in Mexico wasn't an option.

"I needed to stay with my parents. Follow them here."

Angel said many Latino high school boys are so discouraged by high out-of-state tuition rates they don't see the point of finishing high school.

"We have to pay three times more for college," he told KARE 11.

"We want to pay the same as the ones that are documented, that have papers."

In Rep Terry Morrow, D-St Peter, the students found a receptive audience.

"I'm a college professor! I'm with you," Morrow told the kids who showed up in his office along with a KARE 11 TV crew.

"And I know as a college professor we want bright folks like you in college, and we should be making it easier for you all to get in, not harder."

This practical course in grassroots politics also included a lesson in listening quietly to the other side. In this case the opposing view was presented by the Governor's higher education director, Susan Heegard.

"Of course you know the Governor's opposed to this idea," Heegard told a room full of students including the contingent from Park Center.

"Governor Pawlenty's not here today, but I'm speaking on his behalf. His preference is really to have a federal solution. I know there's a federal bill being worked on right now."

Heegard told the students that, even as children of illegal immigrants, they still qualify for many scholarships and loans. She directed them to the website of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

When Heegard opened the session up for questions, she got an earful from the 16-year-old first-time lobbyist Karen Ortiz.

"This isn't about immigration. It's about education," she declared.

"We want education. We want to learn. We want to get money. We don?t want to be in the streets. We don?t want to be in hotels cleaning up, mopping the floors, cooking and burning ourselves. We just want to have an education."

By John Croman, KARE 11 News

Check out our KARE family of Web sites:
	takeKARE		Metromix
	Moms Like Me		Minnesota Bound
	Showcase Minnesota