DREAM Act Timeline Tracks Immigration Reform Progress and Activism

Image courtesy Helga Salinas.

Congress is in recess for the rest of the month, leaving many to wonder about the future of comprehensive immigration reform which passed in the Senate, but faces stiff resistance by House Republicans. In the absence of congressional action the focus appears to be shifting back to the DREAM Act, a long-standing proposal to provide a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants.

It was recently suggested that Republicans in the House would support  a version of the DREAM Act. And if Congress doesn’t act, some wonder if President Obama will take unilateral steps to protect the parents of young undocumented immigrants who qualify for Deferred Action, an earlier reprieve ordered by the Administration.

In the meantime, DREAMers and immigration reform advocates have kept up the pressure, with 41 people arrested in an act of civil disobedience in Washington DC on August 1st, and the Dream 9 being released from Arizona’s Eloy Detention Center just last week.

Journalist Helga Salinas recently produced an interactive timeline to track the development and progress of the DREAM Act, starting with it’s introduction in 2001 and including highlights of the past twelve years of undocumented youth activism.

Feet in 2 Worlds reporters have also been following the evolution of the DREAM Act. Check out some of our articles, podcasts, and videos:

Report: Immigration Reform Will Create A More Productive Economy

The Feet in 2 Worlds #LatinoVote Town Hall Video

Podcast: For Latino Voters it’s Immigration & the Economy, Not Necessarily in that Order

Crowds of DREAMers – Undocumented Immigrant Youth – Get Legal Counseling as We Ask “What’s Next?”

The Road to Deferred Action – Tracing the Story of the DREAM Act

Jose Antonio Vargas After a Year of Living Dangerously

I am UndocuQueer – A Young, Undocumented, Gay Artist Advocates for the DREAM Act

Drifting Youth: Undocumented and Awkward

Podcast: DREAM Act Advocates – Young, Undocumented and on Facebook

Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation and the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation.

AboutVon Diaz

Von Diaz is a writer and radio producer based in New York City. She is a self-taught cook who explores Puerto Rican food, culture, and identity through memoir and multimedia. Her work has been featured on NPR, American Public Media, StoryCorps, WNYC, PRI’s The World, BuzzFeed, Colorlines, and Feet in 2 Worlds. Von has an M.A. in journalism and Latin American and Caribbean studies from New York University. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, she earned a B.A. in Women’s Studies and focused her research on women in Latin America. She is a currently a producer at StoryCorps, and previously worked in community advocacy and communications for nonprofits focused on women, children, art, and Latino culture.