DREAM Act at a glance

Carefully unfurling a packet of stickers, Hyunji considers adding the colorful butterflies to the pillow on her lap.  Sitting across from her, Mike sifts through a bin of multi-colored Styrofoam cut-outs.  The two work together on the hardwood floor, surrounded by tubs of markers, fuzzy pompoms and spools of string.

Oh, and don’t forget the pillows.  Half a dozen pillows lie in various stages of decoration around them, each emblazoned with a similar message: “DREAM.”

Both Hyunji and Mike, whose last names are not being disclosed to protect their identities, belong to the Fighting Youth Shouting out for Humanity (FYSH) at the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) in Albany Park.  Since February, FYSH has dedicated itself to the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, a bill that would allow undocumented students to apply for temporary residency after they graduate from high school.

Hyunji has personal reasons for wanting it to pass.

“I’m undocumented, so it’s very hard for me to live in America with my immigration status because I don’t have my social security number,” Hyunji said. “I’m a senior right now, so I will be attending college next year, but the tuition fee is very expensive and I’m not eligible for FAFSA or scholarships or student loans so I can’t get any money, any help, so it’s a lot of burden for my family.”

An A-student, Hyunji plans to work until she saves enough money to attend college.  Her mother works in a restaurant, while her father is in the beauty supply business.  Having lived in the U.S. since the third grade, Hyunji considers it to be her home.

“These are youth that will grow up and will work for the States,” said Karn Saetang, a KRCC youth organizer. “They will contribute to our country and our economy, and we’re basically denying them an education because of their legal status.”  He added that many of the youth didn’t come to the U.S. by choice, but were brought by their parents when they were very young.

In addition to their Wake Up to the DREAM Act! pillow campaign, FYSH also met with state politicians in an effort gain support for the bill.  So far, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) have agreed to be co-sponsors.

"For generations, immigrants have come to Chicago to make a better life for themselves and their families,” Quigley said.  “I’m co-sponsoring the DREAM Act because I believe in providing dignity and opportunity to my neighbors who have already given our country so much, and who will continue to do so for years to come."

But Mike, an undocumented high school senior, isn’t sure if the DREAM Act will actually happen.

“Like, before, America said about the Dream Act, but it doesn’t pass,” Mike said, referring to the bill’s failure to pass in 2007.  “So I’m a little bit worried about it for this time, too.”