WASHINGTON — They can’t get citizenship or in-state tuition rates, so they’re taking the next stepsthe Capitol and White House steps.
A coalition of student immigrant advocacy groups from Colorado, Massachusetts and California launched a makeshift school Wednesday in the nation’s capital, reminiscent of the “teach-ins” of the 1960s, to encourage a path to citizenship through college enrollment.
The first class at “Dream University” — a school with informal classes and volunteer professors and instructors from around the country — was held Wednesday outside the White House, with more planned in the weeks ahead. Students don’t get credit for the classes, but they’re free.
The Dream University plan calls for students, regardless of immigration status, to attend classes of 20 in such subjects as history, civil rights, science and music, taught by professors from Washington’s Georgetown and American universities.
Dream University also acts as a vigil of sorts to push a federal bill, the DREAM Act — standing for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors — that could grant legal status to immigrants in college or in the military. The Associated Press
