While Republican president hopeful Mitt Romney visited the State of Arizona, a group of young Latinos protested his visit due to his stance on immigration reform and the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
As it stands, the legislation, which would create a path to citizenship for over two million undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, would legalize their status provided they entered the country before the age of 16 and complete either at least two years of college or enlist in the Armed Forces. Romney, however, has stated he would veto the bill if it passed Congress, and has most recently stated that he favors a revised version of the DREAM Act that only includes military service and disregards college enrollment.
“We’re here because we’re not going to let Romney attack the immigrant youth. We’re very bothered and disappointed by his promise to veto the DREAM Act if it gets to the White House,” said president of the Arizona Coalition for the DREAM Act, Dulce Matuz.
The Latino students, who protested outside the amphitheater where Romney was addressing supporters, were also concerned by the fact that the former Massachusetts governor supports “self-deportation” by undocumented immigrants.
“That’s never going to happen. I think the United States needs real solutions and he is not providing them. We have to inform the Hispanic community so that they take note of the kind of person Romney is and so he can’t play around with the Latino vote,” said Matuz.
[…] While Republican president hopeful Mitt Romney visited the State of Arizona, a group of young Latinos protested his visit due to his stance on immigration reform and the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. […]