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https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Dreamers-to-gather-Saturday-11619128.php
'Dreamers' to gather Saturday?
Abbe Smith, Register Staff
For some undocumented college students, Saturday will be the first time they reveal their status publicly.
Facing the possibility of arrest and anti-illegal immigrant sentiment, a group of students with the newly formed Connecticut Students for a DREAM will gather Saturday in Danbury to rally support for the federal DREAM Act. Congress is expected to vote before the end of the year on legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants, who in return would have to complete two years of college or military service.
Lorella Praeli, one of the founders of Connecticut Students for a DREAM, said the goal of the rally is to politically and socially mobilize young adults around the issue.
"What I am hoping is to raise more awareness and support," she said. "I think it's important to mention that the undocumented Americans or the Dreamers is a pretty inaccessible group because we live in the shadows. It's important that we start to hold these kinds of events so that Dreamers and allies will join in the fight for justice."
The rally, which will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in Warner Hall at Western Connecticut State University, also seeks to generate support for an in-state tuition bill for illegal immigrants in Connecticut.
Praeli is a senior at Quinnipiac University, majoring in political science and sociology. She also is also an illegal immigrant who came here as a young girl with her parents.
"We want to empower people and make them feel more comfortable with who they are and be able to transition from hiding to becoming advocates for themselves and their communities," she said.
"Dreamers" are typically students or young people who were brought to the United States by their parents and now find themselves facing legal problems because of their status as illegal immigrants. Nationwide, about 1.5 million such youths would qualify for the DREAM Act, if passed.
Praeli said she and fellow Dreamers are aware of the large opposition to their cause, but she is not afraid.
"The reason why a lot of people have a negative reaction is because there is a real fear that there is a threat to our culture and xenophobia. I think our job is to really inform the community that I am indistinguishable from my documented peers," she said.
Saturday's rally will also feature a food drive to benefit a local pantry in Danbury.
Last month, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. stood with state lawmakers and local leaders to announce support for an in-state tuition bill for illegal immigrants. The state legislature passed a law in 2007 that would have guaranteed in-state tuition rates for all Connecticut high school graduates, including illegal immigrants, but it was vetoed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
Call Abbe Smith at 203-789-5615.