About eight students rallied together on the Plaza of the Americas Monday morning in support of giving education rights to immigrant students.
The rally, hosted by the Coalition of Hispanics Integrating Spanish Speakers through Advocacy and Service, known as CHISPAS, was part of the ongoing United We Dream campaign that has been lobbying state senators and congressmen in the Gainesville area to pass the Development, Relief and Enrichment for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act.
The DREAM Act would give access to college for immigrant students in the U.S. by restoring states' rights to offer in-state tuition to immigrants residing there.
According to the CHISPAS, every year about 65,000 immigrant students graduate from U.S. high schools and cannot pursue higher education because of their immigration status. "Education should be allowed for everyone, no matter their legal status," said Sayra Suarez, secretary of CHISPAS.
CHISPAS hopes to gain the support of Student Government and President Bernie Machen to make the campaign more public, according to the group's Facebook page. "We have been trying to gather up more momentum here on campus," said Rommy Torrico, vice president of CHISPAS.
Torrico will be joining many others in Tallahassee tomorrow to rally for equal rights.
