Local Students Crushed After DREAM Act Fails
Reporting
Tiffani Helberg
E-mail MIAMI (CBS4) ―

Many of the students had hoped the measure would change their lives forever, opening doors to opportunity. So when the vote came in, devastation filled the room.

"I'm heart-broken," said Esteban Roncancio, an undocumented student with tears in his eyes. "I thought finally we would get a chance to give back to this country that we all love,"

Nineteen-year-old Adan Quesada was also overwhelmed with emotion while watching the news. His parents brought him to the United States when he was just 19-years-old.

"I can't do a lot of stuff I thought I could do as a kid," said Quesada. "I was brought here at a young age and I thought my whole life I was American until I got to my senior year and I can't work, I can't drive, I couldn't even go to college and now I'm working hard to not be oppressed and fight against it and be somebody."

The DREAM Act would have given some young undocumented immigrants the chance to become permanent residents if they completed two years of college or served two years in the military.

It is a move that Floridians for Immigration Enforcement have been fighting.

"We call it the dream stealing amnesty act," said David Caulkett, the group's Vice President. "It redistributes dreams away from citizen students and gives those college dreams to illegal alien students and that's just grossly unfair." Well said.

While Caulkett and his group are rejoicing the senate's move Tuesday, the students hoping for legalization are vowing not to give up.

"I'm sad, I'm very sad," said Felipe Matos, an undocumented student. "But I have to be strong for my friends and I have to be strong so we can keep on fighting."

http://cbs4.com/politics/dream.act.deni ... 24515.html