Press Release
Contact: Erin Pangilinan, KAYA National Communications Director, erin@kayagrassroots.org

***** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *****

KAYA condemns Governor Mitt Romney’s stance to veto the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien
Minors (DREAM) Act if he were elected the 45th President of the United States. It is clear that if elected,Governor Romney would support policies that hurt immigrant communities. His recent assertion that he would veto the DREAM Act is further evidence of this.

Governor Romney has taken an extreme position on immigration reform, singling out sensible policies like the DREAM Act. He continues to campaign against the interests of immigrant families and children.

If enacted, the DREAM Act would have a significant impacts on the Filipino American community. Second to Korean Americans, Filipino Americans have the next highest number of undocumented residents in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, at over 20%. Nearly 40% of the students at the University of California system alone who would benefit from the DREAM Act are AAPI.

KAYA members have actively supported this legislation because it provides a pathway to citizenship to
undocumented students who arrived in the U.S. and is a bipartisan plan that would let young immigrants who give back to the only country they’ve ever known by serving in the military or going to college the opportunity to earn a path to citizenship. The DREAM Act is an important first step toward passing comprehensive immigration reform.

President Obama has been a consistent advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and believes that
immigrant youth who were brought here through no fault of their own, that work hard, follow the rules, and know no other home should have an opportunity to earn a path to citizenship and fully contribute to the United States. President Obama’s most recent action under U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) helps eliminate separation for many Filipino American parents and children. This demonstrates his commitment to immigrant communities and family unity.

This starkly contrasts with Governor Romney, whose explicit statements that he will not support DREAM Act, will take our country in a backward direction if he were elected President. KAYA calls on Governor Romney’s campaign to stop its attacks on immigrant students and communities, which include many Filipino American families and children.

For more information on the DREAM Act, visit http://www.DREAMActivist.org