Secrets

As an advocate sometime people share personal information that I need to keep secret.

There are a lot of things that I keep for myself, minding at all time the best interest for the DREAMers and the DREAM Act advocacy.

I have been given the go ahead to reveal one of the many secrets and now I let you all know Oscar Vazquez has enrolled in the army and will finish basic training in June. This is just an example of the sense of patriotic duty the dreamers have in their hearts. If you follow the DREAM Act advocacy in Arizona, you will remember his story.

Oscar Vazquez was member of the team who beat MIT in the MATE underwater robotics competition and was famous around the world thanks to the article "La Vida Robot", by Joshua Davis. The article was the single most clicked article online on Wired Magazine and was reprinted in Readers' Digest editions in several languages in many countries. Read the original article clicking here.

Notoriety followed.

Watch the ABC Nighline video piece on the mighty Falcon robotics here.

After successfully completing a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, Oscar left the country, self deported, frustrated by the lack of action of the federal government and in search for legal venue for re-entry.

It was a gamble, because there are no legal or administrative roads to officially do this. But Oscar and his young family, Karla and Sammy, where ready to endure the hardships. Please read the AZ Republic article on his self deportation here.

I knew of Oscar departure after some weeks he had been living in Mexico. I knew some persons, including some VIPs, were requesting DHS his re-entry but nothing happened.

I decided to look for support in different congressional offices starting for the obvious in Arizona. I was flatly turned back at Ed Pastor's office where they explained only in cases of extreme hardship (i.e. a citizen wife with a malignant cancer in her head waiting for the re-entry of an undocumented husband to assist her and the children ) will be considered. There was no consideration to economic hardship or separation of father and sons, daughters, husbands and wives.

I turned to Raul Grijalva's offices who were a little more sympathetic and willing to explore the possibility but I do not think anything came from it.

I decided to connect with the office of Senator Richard Durbin from Illinois, mayor proponent of the dream act at the national level. That was when things started to move in the right direction.

I was going back and forth exchanging e-mails with Durbin's excellent staff, which arranged meetings with DHS to petition Oscar.

Although it seemed clear to me the impossible may happen, the "legalization" of Oscar Vazquez, Mohammad Abdollahi from Dreamactivist.org confirmed what I suspected in his characteristic unassuming way. " Hey, Carmen ! do you know that Oscar Vazquez is coming home?", he said.

But the family did not wanted all to know until he was actually here. For weeks that seemed like years I kept the secret. Then he finally came home.

Today, Oscar has been away for basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky; since Feb 1, 2011. He went in as a Specialist (Spc) thanks to his BA in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Cavalry Scout/Infantry.His family will be reunited with him again on April ready to face their new adventure.

The Dream and the Military Component

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's initiative to attach the DREAM act to the defense authorization bill is appropriate due to the strong military component of the DREAM.
There are many successful ROTC trained young persons, willing to sacrifice, defend the country they consider theirs and serve honorably on the armed forces of the USA. They are just happen to be here since childhood, undocumented and without a path to a legalization.
Senator McConnell's assertion that the DREAM act attachment to the bill as "extraneous" is a disservice to the many members of the armed forces that choose to serve, some even died, without the benefit of the citizenship for themselves or/and their families, or many in the past that have served even as undocumented immigrants, before more strict laws and scrutiny was passed.
Right now only persons who are legal residents can enroll.
The young persons affected only need a chance to access a process of legal status only provided by legislative change trough the DREAM, because the" line" for them never existed.
Joe Arvizu, an ROTC member who died tragically after being medically deported is a great example of the aspirations of these dedicated youth. Honoring his dreams of service with the passage of the bill will be a great homage.

Colin Powell on the DREAM

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

DREAM Act: Myths and Realities

Not even seasoned journalists get it right all the time. The DREAM Act is a small legislation of less than 10 pages but most of the time I read an article about it I cringe. It often contain some time of misconception or mistake in it's description, information that can be used by the critics to distort the message of hope for undocumented immigrants. Here are some of the Myths and Realities of the DREAM.

Myth: The DREAM Act will give citizenship to "illegal aliens".

Reality: It creates a conditional path to legal residency. There is not automatic citizenship for anyone. The road to citizenship is long, it can take more than 6 years and some may decide to stay as legal residents permanently.

Myth: The beneficiaries are only the College super-stars.

Reality: Any good kid that fulfill the requirements of:

1.-Good moral Character

2.-Finishing High School

3.-Have arrived to the USA before the age of 16 years

4.-Have being living on the USA 5 continuous years since the implementation of the legislation, may be a beneficiary IF he or she commits to two years of post-secondary education or two years in the military.

Myth: The DREAM Act is way to turn Hispanic in war mercenaries.

Reality: Young persons will have to clear options: commit for two years of service on the armed forces OR two years of post secondary education. There is not forced militarization.

Moreover, there are youth longing to belong to the USA military service and we respect and support their personal choices.

Myth: The DREAM Act should not be attached at the military authorization bill.

Reality:The DREAM Act has a strong military component. It is one of the options given to the students to advance on their participation on the community along with post-secondary education. It is a complete disservice to the generations of minorities and immigrant that had honorably served in the USA armed forces, many times without the benefit of legal residency or citizenship, that the military component on the DREAM Act does not matter and it is downplayed by the Republican leadership.

There are many undocumented students whose DREAM is precisely to belong to the military as Joe Arzivu. Read his story here.