Washington D.C. – On Dec. 15, seven undocumented immigrant youth, now referred to as the #Dream7, risked deportation by staging a sit-in outside of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office in the Capitol building, as part of a wave of protests demanding that Congress pass a clean Dream Act now.

Washington, D.C. – Reeling from their loss in the presidential election, in which Latinos overwhelmingly voted against Mitt Romney in no small part due to Republicans’ extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric, the Republicans have begun to introduce immigration-related bills in the lame duck congressional session. This is a sudden and dramatic shift after congressional Republicans have systematically shut down any attempt at federal immigration reform legislation over the past four years. Instead they have focused on implementing highly repressive anti-immigrant laws modeled on Arizona’s SB1070 in as many states as possible.

Richfield, MN – Around 100 people attended an informational workshop on July 22 to learn more about the ‘deferred action’ policy that will allow some undocumented youth to avoid deportation and to get a two-year work permit. The workshop, held at Assumption Church, was sponsored by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc) and La Mision.

Tampa, FL- About 30 people protested outside of the Democratic Party campaign office on June 13. They were there to say no to President Obama's massive deportations of undocumented people and to demand the passage of the Dream Act. The protesters consisted mostly of undocumented youth and allies from around the Tampa area. In almost 100 degree Florida weather, the protesters rallied for two hours waiting to hear from someone inside. While they rallied, many speakers came forward to talk about a range of issues affecting undocumented people throughout the U.S.

Durham, NC – A little over 24 hours after their initial arrests, the undocumented youth who blocked traffic in a civil disobedience action are declaring a victory after they were released from the Atlanta Corrections Detention Center April 7.

(April 7 update: The detained youth have been released)

Demand Education Rights for Immigrant Youth

Raleigh, NC – Over 80 people gathered here, Feb. 1, outside the North Carolina General Assembly to voice strong opposition to HB11. Undocumented students are already faced with the burden of paying out-of-state tuition. This bill, proposed by Rep. George Cleveland, would go further in barring undocumented students from having access to any community colleges and universities in the state. Because of North Carolina's new Republican-majority legislature, the bill is likely to pass.

Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 10, seven students here started a hunger strike to demand that Congress pass the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a proposed law that would give some undocumented immigrant youth the possibility to gain legalization if they go to college or join the military.

Over the summer of 2010, undocumented students organized a series of militant sit-ins and hunger strikes in support of the DREAM act, raising the level of struggle to legalize undocumented youth who attend college or serve in the military. In March, four undocumented student marched 1500 miles from Miami, Florida, to Washington D.C. to highlight the need for Congress to pass the Dream Act. In May, another four undocumented students were arrested at the offices of Arizona Republican Senator John McCain. In June, students held a hunger strike in North Carolina to pressure Democratic Senator Kay Hagen to support the DREAM act. Then in July, 20 undocumented students from across the country were arrested in Washington, D.C. as they protested to pressure more senators to support the DREAM act.

Chicago, IL – 50 immigrant rights activists and community members gathered outside of the Illinois Republican Party offices here, July 21, show solidarity with undocumented youth who were arrested in Washington D.C. the day before. On July 20, many youth, including nine from Chicago, were arrested as they staged a sit-in inside the capitol’s lobby and at several representatives’ offices. The youth were demanding the passage of the Dream Act, which would legalize undocumented students.