Dreamers ─ An Immigrant Generation's Fight for Their American Dream

"In 2001 a bill was presented to the US Congress, known as the DREAM Act. The purpose of this bill was to fix the immigration status of almost two million undocumented youth who came to the country as minors through no choice of their own but now as young adults, with no legal identity, they may be unable to attend college, and live under the constant threat of deportation. These young people are known as Dreamers. As part of activist organizations like United We Dream, National Immigration Youth Alliance, Dreamactivists, among others, these (mostly) Latin American or Asian origin youth that have lived in the US for most of their lives, have worked during the last years to make visible one of the most complex faces of the immigration problem: what to do with those who were brought to this country brought by their parents and had no part in making that decision; who have already received a public K-12 education; who have served in the military, and who lack citizenship rights. "--

Originally from Mexico, Eileen Truax is a journalist and immigrant currently living in Los Angeles, CA. She contributes regularly to Hoy Los Angeles and Unidos and writes for Latin American publications including Proceso, El Universal, and Gatopardo among others. Truax often speaks at colleges and universities about the Dreamer movement and immigration.