Thread: Online Chat Tackles Issue of College Access for Undocumented

http://newswire.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/beh ... 6&public=0

Mon Mar 13 14:42:29 2006 Pacific Time

Daring to DREAM: Online Chat Tackles Issue of College Access for Undocumented Immigrant Children
WASHINGTON, March 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- - Immigration is one of the hottest of hot-button issues right now.

In Congress, the House has passed legislation to impose new controls and tougher penalties for undocumented immigrants, and the Senate is wrestling with the issue. Meanwhile 14 western-state governors have endorsed President Bush's plan for guest-worker visas.

Often lost in the discussion: the question of whether and how to integrate the children of long-term undocumented immigrants fully into U.S. society - for many, the only society they have ever known.

The DREAM Act is a federal proposal with bipartisan support that would allow these children - many of whom arrived here as infants or toddlers - to attend college in their states of residence at in-state rates, and to pursue citizenship. Josh Bernstein, director of federal policy at the National Immigrant Law Center, says that the "DREAM Act has more to do with education than immigration." But the political firestorm over immigration is threatening its prospects for passage.

On March 22, at 1 p.m. ET, Connect for Kids will host a Talktime Live! online chat on the DREAM Act, with experts on education issues faced by immigrants and a student who will speak from experience.

Join Maricela Donahue, a field organizer at the Center for Community Change and Melissa Lazarin, a senior policy analyst for the National Council of La Raza, for this important conversation.

Connect for Kids' Executive Director Cecilia Garcia will host. Anyone interested in participating can send advance questions and comments for the experts using this form: http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3792 . Or log on during the chat to submit questions live.

Talktime Live! is a bimonthly online discussion series for expert panelists, concerned parents, educators, advocates and policymakers. Previous Talktime Live! topics have included race, poverty and children's lives; and how to support children traumatized by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

What: Talktime Live! online discussion - the DREAM Act.

Who: Maricela Donahue of the Center for Community Change; Melissa Lazarin of the National Council of La Raza.

When: Wednesday, March 15, 2006, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET

Where: http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3792 .

Transcripts of the discussion will be available online.

- - - -

CONTACT: Susan Phillips, Connect for Kids, susan@connectforkids.org,

ABOUT: Connect for Kids makes the best use of communications technologies, specifically the Internet, to give adults - parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, advocates, policymakers, elected officials and others - the tools and information they need to improve the lives of children, youth and families. The Connect for Kids Web site covers more than 30 topics ranging from arts to youth development, foster care to adoption, and welfare reform to oral health.

Media Contact: See above.

Quote:
In Congress, the House has passed legislation to impose new controls and tougher penalties for undocumented immigrants, and the Senate is wrestling with the issue. Meanwhile 14 western-state governors have endorsed President Bush's plan for guest-worker visas
__________________________________________________ _________
That is only AFTER they all met at a convention in D.C. recently, and suddenly they changed their minds? I wonder what they were offered.

http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3901

You can ask questions for the group in advance.

WEll I submitted a question, but it was really hard for me to be nice!!

Bump for those that missed this and want to submit a question.