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BY JACQUELINE SMALL

In print | Published March 25, 2010

Last Sunday, roughly 20 Swarthmore students were among thousands shouting “Si, se puede,” or “Yes, we can,” at the March for America, a rally for immigration reform in Washington, D.C. These students were part of the DREAM Act Coalition, a recently formed student group that is lobbying for the passage of the Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act.

“There was something really powerful about seeing people from all over the country come together,” said Evelyn Fraga ’13, one of the group’s founders. “[This issue] affects everyone, from all different cultures, and seeing that diversity was really moving.”

If passed, the DREAM Act would give six years of conditional legal status to undocumented immigrants who were minors when they entered the United States, provided that they meet certain criteria at the time of the law’s passage.

During that time, they must complete two years of college or military service and be of “good moral character.” Children who are older than 12 and are enrolled full-time in primary or secondary school will also not be deportation until they are 16, when they can apply for the program.

The students described March for America, one of the coalition’s several recent activities, as powerful and inspirational. “There were a lot of people, like, thousands of people, all gathered up [in front of the Capitol Building] and everybody was chanting,” said Jovanna Hernandez ’13, another founder of the group.

The march featured several speakers who detailed the need for immigration reform, and Hernandez was particularly impressed by a video of President Obama thanking people for marching and promising to work on the issue. She noted that when the video was played, the crowd fell completely silent.

The group decided to go to the march together when Jusselia Molina ’13, another founder, discussed it in a meeting.

“I’ve always participated in marches before, in New York, so personally I knew I would be going to this one, but didn’t know it would be a Swat thing,” she said. “When I mentioned it to the group, we got a really good response.”

The students left around 9 a.m. on Sunday to meet up with the rest of the DREAM Act delegation, which included students from all over the country, including Colorado, Illinois and New York.

“You just got an amazing feeling of unity and a sense of compassion for fellow human beings,” said Luis Peñate ’13, who attended the march.

Molina said that because of the healthcare votes taking place on Sunday, the march received little media attention.

The group struggled to get funding, mainly because they did not realize the full extent of what they had to pay for.

“It was hard to figure out funding,” Molina said. “This Friday we were running around scrambling for ways to get money, but SBC was really helpful.”

Eventually the group was able to go through Students for a Democratic Society, which has a budget for travel expenses and funded them.

Rafael Zapata, the assistant dean and director of the Intercultural Center who acts as a mentor for the group, said he knew that the IC also supported at least one van, “which [they] were happy to do.”

The group also held a panel discussion on Monday, which had panelists including an immigration lawyer, several activists and potential beneficiaries of the act. They discussed the bill’s strengths and weaknesses and answered students’ questions.

“I thought the panel went wonderfully, and the turnout was great especially since we were a little behind on advertising,” Fraga said. “[Those speakers] gave more of a personal touch.”

The students have many plans for the future, including formally chartering the group. They will also show a documentary called “Papers the Movie: Stories of Undocumented Youth” on April 2 in Kohlberg 226.

The coalition was also chosen to participate in Debating for Democracy, an event sponsored by Project Pericles. Kimberly St. Julian ’12 and Katherine Lam ’11 will debate the issue in front of a judging panel of former and current senators.

Zapata said, “They’ve been very resourceful … Most of our conversations took place in the planning process and I think they’ve taken off, and they’ve been very effective.”

“We’re still trying to raise awareness and make ourselves known to the campus so people can become more informed and involved,” Fraga said.

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