Illegal immigrants brought in as children lobby for fast-track residency law

Philadelphia immigration attorney Dave Bennion thinks it's courageous that students in this country without legal documents rallied and lobbied in Washington earlier this week for passage of the DREAM Act.

The act is designed to give young people under 35 the opportunity to earn permanent-resident status if they came to the U.S. before their 16th birthday, have lived here for at least five years, are of good moral character and have completed two years of college or military service.

"Some of these students came here as infants. They don't remember another country," Bennion said yesterday.

Bennion was with five students in the office of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday when the students staged a peaceful sit-in at the senator's reception area. Bennion, who has been advising "DREAMers" on legal issues, was there to support the students.

Those students were among 21 arrested by Capitol Police that day on charges of unlawful entry or disorderly conduct.

Four were arrested in the office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and 12 others were arrested in the Hart Senate Office Building atrium. None of those arrested was from Pennsylvania, Bennion said.

Reid, as Senate majority leader, "has the power to call the DREAM Act up for a vote" and can mobilize other senators to support it, Bennion said.

On Tuesday, Reid told Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión that he would consider pushing the DREAM Act before November elections if immigration-reform advocates tell him they no longer think a comprehensive reform bill will pass this year.

In an e-mail yesterday, a Reid spokesman said the senator "is exploring all options available, including the DREAM Act and AgJobs, and would work to find the votes so the Senate can act on something this year."

About 45 people from Philadelphia, Allentown and West Chester attended the Washington rallies, including Chestnut Hill resident Mark, 27. An undocumented immigrant, Mark, who didn't want to give his last name, said he and his parents moved to Illinois from the Philippines when he was 6.

His father came on a student visa for a doctoral degree but overstayed that visa. Mark, who received an associate's degree from a community college in Salinas, Calif., came to Philly last year.

The DREAM Act "benefits kids who were brought here at a young age and lost their status through no fault of their own," he said. "They've grown up in the American culture, went through the K-12 system. Basically, they're American at heart. They're just missing" legal papers.