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| Juan and Alex Gomez: Dream Act an Investment in America | March 30, 2009 |
| (Miami, March 30, 2009) – Juan Gomez was saved from deportation by a grassroots movement in 2007and supports the Dream Act as an investment in talented youth who will significantly give back to their communities and country. Reintroduced in Congress last week, the Dream Act offers a path to legal status for immigrant youths who go to college or serve in the U.S. military for two years. Typically these youths were brought to this country at a young age, have done well in high school and wish to serve their country. Juan Gomez, a Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) client, was brought to the United States by his parents at age 2. He excelled in high school in Miami. After he and his family were detained by immigration authorities and on the verge of deportation, FIAC and Juan’s high-school friends launched a campaign to save Juan and his brother Alex from deportation. The campaign asked Congress to support the Dream Act and led to a private bill that has temporarily allowed Juan and Alex to remain here. “If it hadn’t been for my FIAC lawyers who pursued a private bill on my behalf and my friends who even travelled to Washington, D.C. to call attention to our case, I wouldn’t be here today. I believe I have a real obligation to speak out on behalf of other students whose lives will be destroyed unless the DREAM Act passes.” Alex attends Miami Dade College and hopes to be a fire fighter. Juan attends Georgetown University on an international scholarship and majors in business. He was recently featured in a cover story in the Washington Post’s Sunday Magazine (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/02/20/ST2009022002446.html?sid=ST2009022002446). This country educated Juan and Alex as well as tens of thousands of other talented students now blocked from going to college or joining the military because they could be deported at any time. These students offer multilingual and multicultural skills that are prized in an increasingly globalized world. “What a waste to throw away their talent and our investment in their education,’’ said FIAC Executive Director Cheryl Little. “Immigrants, education and skill are engines of the U.S. economy.” The Dream Act would ensure that talent is not wasted. Allowed to stay legally, these youths will contribute far more to this country in taxes and military service. | |