Long walk to immigration reform for undocumented youth

30,000 petitioners support the DREAM Act, which would enable undocumented students who arrived in the US when they were 15 years old or younger and have graduated from high school to earn legal status.

Washington (dpa) April 28, 2010 -- Through rain and snow, the fear of deportation constantly trailing them, four undocumented youth walked more than 2,400 kilometres from Florida to Washington to demand immigration reform -- and were willing to lose their freedom for it.

Their mission, called the Trail of Dreams, started January 1 and brought them to the nation's capital where they hoped to present President Barack Obama with a petition of more than 30,000 signatures collected along the way.

"I have a dream. To many it's a simple dream. For me, it's to become a high school teacher," said Felipe Matos, 24, born in Brazil and sent by family to Miami when he was 14. He'd like to work with poor, disempowered students and inspire them to fight for their dreams.

"We're risking our future because our present is unbearable," the economics student said.

The four "Dream Walkers" live between two worlds: Their countries of origin, which they left as children, and the United States, where they hope to carve out a future as adults.

But their illegal status ensures they are ineligible for state college scholarships and loans despite excelling in school, can't work legally and could be sent back at any time.

"It makes no sense for US taxpayers to throw away the investment we've already made in educating their bright, young students," said Cheryl Little of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Centre (FIAC), a non- profit lobbying to legalize their status.

That could happen through the DREAM Act, which would enable undocumented students who arrived in the US when they were 15 years old or younger and have graduated from high school, to earn legal status.

"I stand here after lots of physical and emotional pain, after visiting town after town and hearing the stories of families torn apart by our broken immigration system," Matos said.

On Wednesday, the trail appeared to end at the White House gates as Obama "was unresponsive to our request for a meeting," Matos said.

"We belong here. We grew up here ... and have pledged allegiance to the flag -- proudly," said Matos, who describes himself as a proud son of a poor, single mother who spent her life working three jobs as a maid.

"What breaks my heart is the absence of action from Congress ... we ask to be treated with dignity, but what we get in return is deportations and bills like Arizona."

He was referring to the bill signed into law last week in Arizona that would require legal immigrants to carry proof of identity at all times and mandates that police question people about their immigration status if there are reasonable grounds to suspect they are in the country illegally.

Jose Luis Zactelco, born in Mexico and brought to the US at age 11, is aware he could be forced to return at any time. "If I went back to Mexico today, I don't know who I would live with -- most of my family lives in the US," he said.

Zactelco, whose dream is to become a mental health counsellor, was inspired by the Florida walkers and organized a separate group to walk 400 kilometres from New York to Washington.

He said he didn't know what it was like to be undocumented until he applied for college and was told he wouldn't get a scholarship. "My school counsellor told me, 'How dare you dream of going to college'. So I decided to stand up and show that she was wrong in telling me not to dream," said Zactelco, who has managed to study despite the barriers.

Gaby Pacheco, 25, wept as she spoke of herself as a fifth grade student who "fell in love with the promise of education" when visiting the Miami university she now attends.

Pacheco came from Ecuador at age 7 and wants to open a music therapy centre for autistic children, whom she described as an under- served and invisible population whose rights are neglected -- much like hers.

Carlos Roa, a 22-year-old Venezuelan who has lived undocumented for two decades, said: "All this time I have lived under the omnipresent fear of being without documents, of being ashamed and scared that any day I can be arrested and deported to a country of which I have no memories."

Weary of living in insecurity and dealing with the heartbreak of friends deported and families torn apart, eager to work hard and make a life for themselves, the youth said they wanted to blaze a trail for others like them and contribute to a country that is now their only home.

Jesus Reyes, who came to the US from Venezuela when he was 11 and was detained last year after his parent's asylum claim was denied, said: "Although we are proud of our own heritage, we're also extremely proud of our American home ... we will not give up on America, no matter what."

Copyright: dpa