Thread: FL: College students take DREAM message to Sen. George LeMie

College students take DREAM message to Sen. George LeMieux's Miami-Dade office
November 26, 2010

College students turned up at U.S. Sen. George LeMieux's Miami-Dade office, urging him to vote for the DREAM Act.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY

South Florida students took their campaign for the DREAM Act to the Miami-Dade office of U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., who voted against the measure in September when it surfaced as an amendment to the defense spending bill.

The students delivered a letter to LeMieux's staffers Wednesday urging the senator to vote for the bill if, as expected, it comes up during Congress' lame-duck session.

Some immigration activists say the bill could come up for debate as early as next week.

LATEST EVENT

The event at LeMieux's office was the latest pro-DREAM Act event in South Florida.

On Monday, a few immigration activists demonstrated at the entrance to the Krome immigrant detention center, and last week students at Miami Dade College staged a rally where a student leader, Colombia-born José Salcedo, revealed he is undocumented.

The controversial measure would give green cards to undocumented immigrant students brought to the United States illegally by their parents when they were babies, toddlers or teens.

Supporters of immigration reform, who seek legalization of the estimated 10.8 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, believe the DREAM Act is the only immigration measure with a chance of passing before the new Congress is seated in January under a Republican-controlled House and a Senate with a reduced Democratic majority.

OPPOSITION

Opponents of the measure are also preparing for the debate with e-mails and statements to the news media denouncing the DREAM Act as another amnesty bill for ``illegal aliens.''

The Washington-based group NumbersUSA urged opponents of legalization to telephone senators to urge them to vote against the DREAM Act because the bill would be detrimental to the U.S. economy and safety.

But at a news conference in front of LeMieux's Miami-Dade office, 8669 NW 36th St., before the students delivered their letter, the South Florida pro-DREAM Act youths said the bill would boost the economy.

The letter given Wednesday to LeMieux's staff was signed ``Cuban Community of Florida.'' That is because a number of Cuban community members accompanied the students, including José DÃ*az, a Miami Dade College student born in Venezuela to a Cuban father.

LeMieux could not be reached for comment before Thanksgiving, but after he voted against the measure in September, he said: ``While I am sympathetic to the students impacted by current law, I cannot support consideration of the DREAM Act until we have taken substantial and effective measures to secure our borders.''

Miami Herald Staff Writer Lesley Clark contributed to this report.

www.miamiherald.com

When will some of those people look at it beyond people of our ethnicity? I am sick of it. Cubans do not know what immigration system is like as they just show up and are processed right away. Heck these days they get smuggled in and they don't even have to worry about being asked who smuggled them in. The head of Miami Dade College is a Cuban who allows illegal aliens to go to school there. You don't hear about any other college or university students getting picked up by ICE and their sob stories or how they are here illegally an protetsing for their rights.

The head of Miami Dade College is a Cuban

Seems to be the way of taking control in political offices or other positions of authority and people do not see it happening. Our government is oblivious to it. All one has to do is open their eyes to see it transitioning in this country.