Dreams Deferred

The Dream Act if passed will benefit undocumented students by creating a path to citizenship. These students currently cannot afford to pay for school since they do not get any financial aid or other federal help. Likewise, after attending college, these students cannot work in their field of study for lack of a social security number.

On September 16, approximately 60 community members gathered in front of the Santa Barbara Courthouse to support the Dream Act.

During the press conference a representative for Congresswoman Lois Capps, Sharon Siegel, was present as well as Supervisor Janet Wolf, Supervisor Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara City Councilmember Grant House, and Goleta City Councilmember Margaret Connell.

Nayra Pacheco, a third year student at UC Santa Barbara and an active member of Pueblo in Santa Barbara and Ideas at UCSB, which organized the event, commented that if “you want an internship . . . or to sustain yourself with a job you cannot because you don’t have those nine digits.” Pacheco mentioned that undocumented students struggle in various ways, such as by being characterized as criminals or prohibited from getting a driver licenses.

In order for it to be passed, 60 votes are needed; we need five more U.S. senators to say yes to the Dream Act.—Rosalinda Garcia, UCSB