Marymount University President Dr. Irma Becerra with Marymount Dreamers Karla Mercado Dorado (left) and Andrea Anaya-Sandoval (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
During the press conference, President Becerra also introduced U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). The two come from similar backgrounds, with President Becerra escaping the Cuban revolution with her family at just eight months old and Rep. Salazar being the daughter of Cuban exiles. Together, they are both staunch supporters for Dreamers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI represent a district in South Florida that is probably the ultimate melting pot in the U.S. I believe Dreamers are Americans \u2013 there\u2019s no other way to put it. They go to school, pay taxes and serve in the military,\u201d Rep. Salazar said. \u201cThere are 5,100 Dreamers in my district who contribute more than $1 million each year to our economy. They make my city and our country better.\u201d<\/p>\nMarymount President Irma Becerra with U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
Also speaking at the coalition event were U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), as well as U.S. Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Raul Ruiz (D-CA).<\/p>\n
The success of the DACA program has unleashed the economic potential of almost 800,000 people, allowing them to contribute to our economy, start families, buy homes, access health care, build businesses and bring their talents to the industry sectors where they\u2019re most needed.<\/p>\nDreamers at Wednesday’s press conference on Capitol Hill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
But for too long, DACA participants have been vulnerable to government indecision, sowing anxiety, instability and legal limbo in their lives. And, DACA\u2019s strict timeframes omit thousands of individuals who need it. More than 427,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in postsecondary institutions, and of these, less than half are DACA-eligible. Similarly, every year, nearly 100,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools but only one-quarter are DACA-eligible.<\/p>\n
Over recent years, Marymount has emerged as a beacon of support for Dreamers. The first and only Hispanic-Serving Institution in Virginia, the University is also a founding partner of TheDream.US, the nation\u2019s largest college access and success program for Dreamers. It has established its own Dreamers scholarship fund<\/a>. And last year, the University hosted former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam for a ceremonial bill signing<\/a> that made Virginia students eligible for state financial aid if they are eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.<\/p>\nMarymount President Irma Becerra with Donald Graham, cofounder of TheDream.US<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yesterday on Capitol Hill, #WithDACA \u2013 a coalition of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), TheDream.US, FWD.us, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Pre-Health Dreamers, Presidents\u2019 Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and United We Dream \u2013 marked the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) […]<\/p>\n
Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":14284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1371,762,754,680,42,14,15,336,1370],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Becerra advocates for Dreamers on DACA\u2019s 10th anniversary - Marymount University<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n