Posted on 11/24/2010 2:53:27 PM PST by freespirited
University students across Texas this week joined San Antonio students in a hunger strike aimed at pressuring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to vote for the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for students and soldiers brought to the country illegally as children. Started two weeks ago by a dozen students at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the hunger strike spread this week to UT campuses in Austin, Dallas, Arlington, Brownsville and Edinburg, as well as the University of North Texas in Denton, according to members of DREAM Act NOW!, the UTSA student group that organized the strike.
The group is part of a national coalition called United We DREAM, which brings together activists in each state. Universities in Florida and Indiana have also begun striking in solidarity, members said.
“Now that they have seen we are still going and not planning to stop, some have joined us,” said Claudia Sanchez, one of the UTSA strikers. Sanchez, 29, is a U.S. citizen, but many of her fellow strikers are in the country illegally.
Hutchison met with a DREAM Act activist in Washington last week in hopes the meeting would end the hunger strike, according to a spokeswoman. Sanchez said San Antonio strikers want a face-to-face meeting with Hutchison when she comes home to Texas for the holidays.
“We want to start talking about the specifics of the DREAM Act so she can tell us exactly what she doesn't agree with,” Sanchez said. “We are giving her until Thanksgiving. If not, we are going to start stepping up our campaign. We will put more pressure on her.”
In a statement issued Tuesday, Hutchison said she would not support the current bill because it “goes far beyond the intended group of children who grew up in the U.S. and attended primary and secondary schools here.”
Hutchison is concerned for the safety and welfare of the students, but has already met with people from many parts of Texas on the issue and does not plan change her position, the statement said.
Sanchez said she hoped Congress would vote on the bill next week during the lame-duck session.
The act would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the country before the age of 16. To be eligible, the immigrants must have no criminal record and either attend college or serve in the military for two years. It would likely benefit about 825,000 immigrants, the vast majority under the age of 35, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Critics have called it an unfair amnesty
Wonder what they will come up with for an encore.
Let ‘em starve.
2 weeks and this problem solves itself.
I don’t know why anyone cares about a hunger strike. Ignore them. Why should anyone give them one moment of their attention?
Agreed. You beat me to the punch.
Well...that takes care of our obseity problem...Michelle should give these students RAVE reviews!
Maybe they’ll go home and refuse to come back.
My exact thoughts.
Pumpking Pie!
Wishful thinking. These are the pampered do-nothings. They won't go more than a couple hours without sneaking food and drink.
starving mexicans salute!
Hunger strikes make absolutely no sense to me. Why would I give a rat’s a$$ if someone starves themselves? Neither Olson twin ate much during the first 5 years of this decade, but it didn’t coerce me to do anything differently.
They are college students... if they give up beer and sex, I will pay more attention to what they are protesting.
Sooner or later they’ll eat, or they won’t, it’s a personal decision.
“Sanchez said San Antonio strikers want a face-to-face meeting with Hutchison when she comes home to Texas for the holidays.”
Fat chance....why would Hutchison meet with illegals who are non-voters?
this is hilarious. it’s like someone said they were gonna punch themselves in the face if you didn’t give them what they want. break out the bbq’s and start grilling in front of their starving @$$es
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