The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act was filibustered on the Senate floor in a vote of 56-43, preventing the act from passing. If passed, the act would have allowed many undocumented workers to have a chance at citizenship, either by completing two years of college, or by entering the military.

The news crushed many who longed for a chance at comprehensive immigration reform. “I felt disappointed, a little bit sad, but at the same time I got strength from that,” said De Anza College student Jose Francisco Romero.  

“The DREAM Act affects me personally because I’m an undocumented student; I’m not scared of saying that. And with the DREAM Act, maybe I will be able to become a citizen if I meet all the requirements, and if I’m not, I know my brother would,” Romero said.

Romero is involved in the De Anza chapter of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán, a national organization committed to “working with the Chicano community and people of color in general, to achieve higher education, self-determination, social justice, and promoting cultural awareness.”  MEChA members from De Anza took part in the California statewide Day of Action for the DREAM Act.

Romero and MEChA students are planning to take part in a meeting Oct. 16 to plan a Bay Area–wide action. They want to be “back in the spotlight” as Romero puts it, so that the issue does not fade from voters’ minds.

College students from across California took part in a nine day bike ride from UC Berkeley to UCLA, while educating people along the way. The goal of the ride was to raise awareness and to gather support for the act. De Anza students Anaruth Hernandez, Keith Hubbard and Marlo Custudio took part in the bike ride, while Shaila Ramos and Patrick Campbell worked as volunteers.  

Hernandez was excited to be a part of the ride. “It was an intense experience going from Berkeley to L.A.  We traveled through a lot of towns talking about what we were doing,” she said.

Hubbard condemned the failure to pass the DREAM Act as well as the recent passing of Arizona’s SB 1070 law. “I think it’s very racist,” he said.

For Custudio, it was the stories and relationships formed on the ride that made it memorable.

“A guy named Lolly Tran and his sister were very involved in the movement. She was involved in all of these organizations supporting the DREAM Act. He said on the first day, for us it was very political, but for him it was personal because his sister passed away in a drunk driving accident,” Custodio said. “He was never really involved before but he came on the bike ride in memory of his sister and the work that she was doing.  He’s continuing to get more involved.”