Friends,

After years of fighting for the passage of the New York State DREAM Act, yesterday we came one step closer to victory. In his State of the State address, Governor Cuomo finally called for its passage! This is definitely a positive first step to making DREAM legislation a reality for thousands of hardworking undocumented youth in New York; however, we remain wary of its packaging with the Education Tax Credit bill that can divert millions from public education.

This announcement came days after our rally at the Governor’s office in Hicksville.

We believe the DREAM Act will have a tremendous impact on Long Island’s immigrant families and the educators who have worked tirelessly to ensure that all opportunities, despite their limitations, are available to their undocumented students. And, when thinking about the long-term economic impact, Peggy, a retired Long Island teacher, said it perfectly: “Allowing our NY State Dreamers who are full of courage, creativity and intellect to access funding for higher education is a way of insuring the future of NY State.”

We would like to commend all of the Dreamers, workers, faith leaders, educators, and allies who came together to push for the inclusion of the NY DREAM Act into the the state budget. Thank you for coming to marches, organizing, calling in, providing meeting spaces, and otherwise showing support.

In order to keep growing our movement, we must continue to stand for education and dignity for all our young people!!

Onward!