Dreamers
An Immigrant Generation's Fight for Their American Dream
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
This intimate, first-of-its-kind account of young undocumented immigrants fighting to live legally within the United States is a “must-read for anyone interested in the immigration debate” (Booklist)
Of the approximately twelve million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, as many as two million came as children. They grow up here, going to elementary, middle, and high school, and then the country they call home won’t—in most states—offer financial aid for college and they’re unable to be legally employed. In 2001, US senator Dick Durbin introduced the DREAM Act to Congress, an initiative that would allow these young people to become legal residents if they met certain requirements.
And now, more than ten years later, in the face of congressional inertia and furious opposition from some, the DREAM Act has yet to be passed. But recently, this young generation has begun organizing, and with their rallying cry “Undocumented, Unapologetic, and Unafraid” they are the newest face of the human rights movement. In Dreamers, Eileen Truax illuminates the stories of these men and women who are living proof of a complex and sometimes hidden political reality that calls into question what it truly means to be American.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"To let the Dreamers speak for themselves" is the goal veteran journalist Truax sets for herself in this account of 10 undocumented young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. She puts a human face on the debate around the proposed DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act. To this end, Truax recounts both the empowerment of activism and traumatic events, including a precipitous deportation and a suicide. Political figures whose actions or inactions affect the lives of the "Dreamers" appear as well: President Obama, often referred to as "Deporter in Chief"; Sheriff Joseph Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., known for draconian enforcement of immigration laws; Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, who's introduced several versions of the DREAM Act since 2001; and Mohammad Abdollahi, who leads the DREAM Activist Undocumented Students Action and Resource Network. Truax succeeds in conveying how a shadow status permeates the lives of all the young people profiled here, with education, employment opportunities, and essential social services severely limited or unavailable. At its core, Truax's book is a severe reproach to U.S. immigration law; the appendix, a pr cis of the 2011 DREAM Act, illustrates the succor it would bring to some but how problematic the policy is for many others.
