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Despite the fact that US immigration reform is seemingly becomingmore of an uphill battle in an increasingly polarized country, support for the DREAM Act a law which would give immigrants brought to the United States in their youth a path to residency is on the rise. Though theDREAM Act bill was narrowly defeated in the Senate in December2010, it was reintroduced last year, and immigration reform advocates still hold out hopethat it could pass. I've written about several Brazilians at the heart of the DREAMAct, including Felipe Matos , one of the United States' top immigration reform activists, and Polyana de Oliveira , a Brazilian who moved back to her country of birth after runningout of time for the DREAM Act to pass. But what I recently discovered is that the very person who inspired the DREAM Act is in factBrazilian by birth. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois was one of the senators who wrote and introduced the DREAM Actback in 2001, inspired by Tereza Lee . Tereza was born in S o Paulo to Korean parents, and lived in Brazil until she was 2, when the family moved to Chicago . Ms. Lee became a talented pianist and was accepted into some of the top music schools in thecountry. But since she was undocumented , she was ineligible for financial aid. One of her music teachersdecided to search for a solution, and called Mr. Durbin's office tosee if he could help. Soon, the DREAM Act was born. RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz! Part of the reason it took so long for the bill to be considered inCongress was that it was due to be discussed on September 12, 2001;Tereza herself was supposed to fly to Washington for the hearing. Fortunately, Tereza was lucky. She had thefortune to be able to study at the Manhattan School of Music , where she is currently pursuing a doctorate. Now age 29, shemarried an American and gained residency. But she's still a vocalpart of the DREAM Act movement, advocating for others like her. I spoke to Tereza briefly about her family's journey from Korea toBrazil to the US, as well as her role in immigration reform. What brought your parents to Brazil? What brought them later tothe United States? My parents had lost everything their belongings, homes, and land during the Korean War and subsequent struggles. They became partof a massive wave of Korean immigration to North and South America . They first moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I was born, andstarted a small clothing business. Although they were, initially,relatively successful, they decided to move to the US to start overagain after almost all of their savings [were] stolen via identitytheft. My mother sold her wedding ring in order to buy visas andplane tickets for us, and we moved to Chicago when I was two. Once you became a resident, where was the first place you traveledabroad? Have you been back to Brazil or to Korea? I've not been back to Brazil, and have unfortunately never been toKorea, but I have been able to visit Germany , France , Italy , and Japan . Before I even boarded an airplane, though, I really experienced afeeling of vertigo when I received my permanent resident documentwhich allowed me to travel. Although I was, of course, beyondthrilled to finally have documentation, and be one step closer toAmerican citizenship, at the same time it struck me as incrediblybizarre and unsettling that this small, flimsy piece of paper couldhave such power over my life. What's your involvement like with the DREAM movement at present? I am constantly trying to keep up to date on all the latest news onthe DREAM Act. I stay in touch with other DREAMers as much as Ican, and have become friends with many of them. I also volunteeroccasionally at rallies and events there are so many here in NewYork. Do you think the DREAM Act has a chance of passing anytime in thenear future? Absolutely! Both houses of Congress voted to pass the DREAM Act in2010, and with only a few more votes to override a filibuster inthe Senate, it would have been made law then. I'm no expert onpolitics, but I know the upcoming election will be very significantfor the DREAM Act. On the other hand, my guess is that it's notlikely to happen before the election. What advice would you give to other DREAMers? Stay positive, both in your own lives and in your communicationswith others. Being caught between the cracks of the immigrationsystem for years can be enormously frustrating and debilitating,and many DREAMers I've talked to have battled severe depression. Ialso know, though, that DREAMers know how to survive amid greatobstacles and constant fear, and it never ceases to amaze me howmany DREAMers have persevered and become valedictorians, starathletes, and leaders in their communities. When we bring ourmessage to the public, anger won't work. We need to focus on thebenefits that America will receive from allowing all of thesetalented people to contribute, and then, once the DREAM Act passes,go out and prove it! Rachel Glickhouse is the author of the blog Riogringa.com. RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz! We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Cut to Length Machine , China Purlin Forming Machine for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Metal Roll Forming Machine.
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