Onedream2009

Myth about the youth *Pew Hispanic Center Report 2005; Passel, 2005*

5 million youth under the age of 18 are either undocumented or have a parent who is undocumented

Of these 5 million, 2 million children are undocumented themselves

3 million U.S. born youth have at least 1 parent or sibling who is undocumented

Myth about paying taxes *Immigration Policy Center, 2005; Porter, 2005*

Undocumented immigrants pay between 6-7 billion dollars in social security

All undocumented immigrants pay sales tax and property taxes

Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most state & federal benefits

Myth about employment *Migration Policy Institute, 2005; National Council of La Raza, 2006*

Over 90% of undocumented immigrant males are employed

Nearly 40% of all undocumented immigrants entered legally

Over 9 million undocumented immigrants fill jobs in the U.S. for cheap labor

There are approximately 15 million individuals identified as undocumented immigrants in what is known today as the United States of America. The historical immigration policy has been based on fear by focusing on the economic impact but not on the human impact. In order to achieve global sustainability, it must be measured by our efforts towards social justice.

Immigrants are longing for “the right to life, liberty and security of person as well as the right to leave any country, including his/her own, and to return to his/her country” (U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). U.S. citizens believe “that all men/women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration of Independence, 1776). In 1776, political slaves to King George protested, only to become masters of slaves.

In 1864, it took a president to free our country from slavery. In 2009, it will take a president to free us from a new form of slavery and recognize immigrants as human beings not illegal aliens. In our human advancement, we must be able to move beyond identifying people through a green card, a social security number, or an alien number and towards the simple yet profound acknowledgement of humanity that exists in all of us.

Set out before us is an audacious goal: present to our next president on Inauguration Day the power of people, money, and respect representing the voice of human solidarity.

This goal can be accomplished in the following manner: Provide 15 million signatures from U.S. citizens to represent the 15 million undocumented immigrants. A specific target of 2 million youth signatures to represent the 2 million undocumented youth requesting a humanistic immigration policy such as the DREAM ACT.