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2 SENATORS PROMOTE 'DREAM ACT' AT MANHATTAN RALLY
Under proposed bill, $2,000, a background check and fluent English could grant U.S. citizenship
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
By DEBORAH YOUNG
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
They stock produce in supermarkets, bus tables in restaurants, study in college, install drywall on construction sites, tend to the elderly and baby-sit the young.

An estimated 1,000 undocumented immigrants living on Staten Island, 600,000 in New York City and 11 million nationwide would have a chance at legal U.S. residency under a bill authored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D- Mass).

McCain yesterday brought his platform for immigration reform to a boisterous Manhattan rally attended by city labor unions, immigration advocacy groups and politicians representing dozens of countries and an array of languages.

"These are people who live in the shadows without the protections of our laws and our society," McCain told a cheering crowd of 1,000-plus, including at least 20 Islanders, at the headquarters of the service union 32BJ -- their cries carrying onto the street where at least 100 more waited to get inside.

"They deserve access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

He was joined by Democratic New York lawmakers, including Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens/Brooklyn) and Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan).

Also known as the "Dream Act," the bill would allow undocumented workers who have lived in the country for six years to attain legal residency by paying a fine of $2,000, undergoing a criminal background check and demonstrating proficiency in English.

The legislation would seek to strengthen what McCain called the "broken borders."

It also proposes something akin to a guest worker program, which would allow U.S. employers to provide "tamper-proof" visas to foreign workers for specific jobs.

A Bulls Head resident and an aspiring physician's assistant from Pakistan who attends the College of Staten Island joined a valedictorian from Guatamala, a plumber from Ireland and other immigrants on the dias to speak to the crowd about their lack of access to the workforce and their fear of deportation from the only country they know and love.

"I am frustrated that I am studying hard in school, but cannot get a job when I finish because I do not have working papers," said Shamila, who declined to give her last name because of her immigration status.

She arrived in this country in 1984, at the age of 6 from Peshwar, Pakastan.

She is uncertain if she ever will receive legal residency or if she'll be shipped back to a foreign land she doesn't know.

"I need the laws to change so that I can follow my dreams," she said. "This is my home."

Deborah Young is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at young@siadvance.com.