July 07, 2009 08:59 PM UTC

Call Congress - Help Students Stay in the U.S. By Passing the DREAM Act

• 1 Comments
• by: ranr

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Last week, while folks were busy gearing up to celebrate America’s 233rd birthday, my friends and I were busy working to save one student’s American Dream.

Walter Lara, who lives in Miami, came to the U.S. when he was 3 years old. He excelled in school, and graduated with a 4.7 GPA. He then went on to Miami-Dade Honors College, where he excelled in his studies.  

Last week, though, he came perilously close to being deported back to his native Argentina – a country he isn’t familiar with – all because, when he was 3 years old, his family came here without documentation.

Walter and the rest of us fought hard, and our efforts were rewarded when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano decided to defer Walter’s deportation for one year.

Here’s what Walter had to say about this:

We did it! Today, I was supposed to be sent back to Argentina — a country that I left when I was 3 years old and have no memory of. But thanks to you, I am not being deported today.

Here’s what we did together:

   * Over 3,000 people co-signed Sen. Nelson’s letter on my behalf.

   * Over 1,000 calls were made to the Department of Homeland Security–so many that we overwhelmed their messaging system.

Thank you all for making this 4th of July one that I will never forget. Now, let’s pass the DREAM Act.

To Secretary Janet Napolitano, Senator Bill Nelson, Representatives Corrine Brown, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, words cannot express my gratitude. Their action is an acknowledgment that our immigration laws are broken.

But personal interventions won’t help the tens of thousands of other DREAMers who stand to benefit from passage of the DREAM Act. This is why we need Congress to pass the DREAM Act.

Call your Senator right now and ask them to support the DREAM Act. I was lucky, but the reality is that someone else is being deported today. Please call them.

Thank you,

Walter Lara

Walter’s the kind of student we honor and support. His hard work is the kind of diligence that we celebrate and point to as an example for others.

It’s high time that we recognize that America needs to support students like Walter, not send them into exile. Justice may be impartial, but it needs to be also tempered by mercy.

Please take a moment to call your Senators and tell them to pass the DREAM Act