As many of you know, last Saturday the U.S. Senate failed to pass the DREAM Act, common-sense legislation that would have allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented American youth to contribute their talents to our nation through the pursuit of a higher education or military service. The failed vote is an indication that the short-sighted and damaging politics of nativism are alive and well in the U.S. Senate.
 
The great African-American poet Langston Hughes once wrote: "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore ...Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?" These words offer us a reminder of what is at stake here for our families, community and nation.

It is clear to us that we are engaged in a generational - rather than a one-time only - struggle for justice. To those Senators who denied the American Dream to so many worthy young people, we emphatically say: we will not forget! And we will never give up! We will continue to mobilize and educate voters until we have a fillibuster-proof number of Senators in office who understand the importance of the DREAM Act (and other progressive immigration reforms) to our nation's future security and economy.

Hasta Luego!

Lillian Rodriguez Lopez
President