Undocumented student confronts Romney on the DREAM Act
By JUAN GASTELUM
Channel: Immigration
Activists for the DREAM Act once again put Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on the spot for vowing to veto the bill if he wins his bid for the U.S. presidency and it reaches his desk.
At a fundraiser in New York on Tuesday, Lucy Allain of the New York Immigration Coalition approached Romney to question his stance on the bill.
“Are you going to to support the DREAM Act?” Allain asked.
Romney, the current frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, reiterated his position.
“I already said, across the country, I would veto the DREAM Act,” he said.
Romney has made no secret of his opposition to the bill, which would provide a pathway to citizenship to some undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children if they join the military or attend college.
When confronted by Allain, a 20-year-old undocumented student who overstayed her visa after she was brought here from Peru at age 10, Romney jumped into his usual response.
“I’m undocumented,” Allain said. “I want to know then, why are you not supporting my dream?”
“Because if someone comes here illegally…” Romney started, but was quickly cut off by Allain, who asserted that she had not come here illegally and has a 4.0 grade point average.
“That’s wonderful,” Romney replied before one of his handlers intervened and moved him away.
Allain says she was berated by Romney supporters as she made her way out of the event. She says one person told her to “Go back to Mexico.”
“I’m not Mexican, I’m Peruvian,” she responded.
The group accompanying Allain, carrying signs that read “We veto Romney,” later caught up with the governor as he left the fundraiser in a black SUV.
With back-to-back victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney may well be on his way to securing the GOP nomination. Though his tough stance against the DREAM Act could help him secure a victory with voters in the primaries, it may also alienate Latino voters in a general election. The latest poll by the Pew Hispanic Center showed Latinos overwhelmingly support the bill, at 91 percent.
It’s not the first time Romney comes face-to-face with young undocumented immigrants who would benefit from the DREAM Act, or Dreamers, since he took a definitive stance against the bill while campaigning in Iowa in December.
After his victory speech following the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 10, Romney was approached by several activists who urged him to support the legislation.
“I love this country. I’m a Dreamer. I want you to support the DREAM Act, sir,” one man said.
To which Romney dismissively responded, “Fine, thank you,” and moved on.
