Queens College’s DREAM Team held their fourth annual UndocuMic on March 9 where undocumented students used performance art to talk about their hardships. There were 11 performances, and they ranged from poetry to dance. Yet all who performed wanted to talk about the experience of being an undocumented immigrant in the United States. A report released in January by the Center for Migration Studies found there are nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. The DREAM Team, a club of undocumented students and supporters, holds the event every year at the Agora Cafe in the Student Union. Kevin Guzman, a senior and co-founder of the DREAM Team, said the…
-
-
Fear and resistance in undocumented community
Recent deportation raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement took undocumented families by surprise. Because of this, most are afraid to leave their homes. Jeh Johnson, Department of Homeland Security secretary, defended the actions as necessary, while acknowledging problems with it. “I know there are many who loudly condemn our enforcement efforts as far too harsh, while there will be others who say these actions don’t go far enough. I also recognize the reality of the pain that deportations do in fact cause. But, we must enforce the law consistent with our priorities,” he said. There are spaces for undocumented immigrants, including the DREAM Team. Named after the 2010 bill offering a…
-
Legacy of student activism lives on at Queens College
Queens College is famous for the roles student activists played not only on campus, but across the U.S. as well. From anti-war rallies to mass sit-ins at buildings, students helped define and change what it means to be an activist over the history of the college. Today activism is still a major part of student life on campus in spite of new issues appearing in society. “Activism is a way to create change through people’s actions. It is creating awareness in the community in order to cause people to take action and demand better political change.” Lorena Carino, senior, said. Carino is a member of the DREAM Team, which aims…
-
DREAM Team advocates for the DREAM Act
Many young people in the United States face unique challenges in the classroom, but for Queens College student Lorena Carino, her problems seem to follow her wherever she goes. Carino, a 19-year-old sophomore, represents one of the millions of undocumented immigrants who enter the U.S. with the hopes of gaining an education and finding a job to make a living for themselves. “My parents came to the U.S. because — like everyone, they wanted a better life for my sister and I. Since in Mexico it was hard to have a good life economically — everything is more expensive and harder to work for in my country,” the…
-
Queens College DREAM Team advocates the DREAM Act
The Queens College DREAM Team hosted an event along with the New York Public Interest Research Group and the New York State Youth Leadership Council on Sept.17 to “reach out to the undocumented students on campus and start a dialogue in QC about undocumented students.” The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act is legislation that aims to place certain undocumented immigrants on the path to permanent residency if they are able to complete a set of requirements relating to higher education. To qualify, individuals must be between the ages of 12 and 30 at the time the DREAM Act is passed, have arrived in the U.S. before the…
