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RESOLUTION NO. 5001 <br />A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE PASSAGE OF THE <br />DEVELOPMENT, RELIEF, AND EDUCATION FOR ALIEN MINORS <br />(DREAM) ACT, WHICH AUTHORIZES THE CANCELLATION OF <br />REMOVAL AND THE ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS FOR CERTAIN <br />IMMIGRANT YOUTHS WHO ARE COLLEGE BOUND AND ARE LONG <br />TERM UNITED STATES RESIDENTS AND PERMIT STATES TO <br />DETERMINE STATE RESIDENCY FOR PURPOSES OF HIGHER <br />EDUCATION. <br /> The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that: <br />A. <br /> Each year 65,000 undocumented students, who have lived in the United States for <br />over five years, graduate from American high schools. <br />B. <br /> These students face overwhelming obstacles in accessing higher education due to <br />their immigration status, which makes them ineligible for federal financial aid and requires them <br />to pay out-of-state tuition for those attending state universities despite their long-term residency <br />within our country. <br />C. <br /> Many of these children reside in Eugene and surrounding communities and attend <br />the public schools. However, many of them drop out of high school, and are discouraged from <br />studying because they see no incentive in pursuing higher education due to barriers to access. <br />D. <br /> There are approximately 2 million children who were born outside of the U.S., <br />raised and educated in this country with no legal status, hold American values, know only the <br />United States as home, and have the same dreams, goals and aspirations as other American <br />children. <br />E. <br /> These children came to the United States due to their parents’ actions and did not <br />take part in any decision to circumvent the immigration laws of this country. <br />F. <br />Undocumented immigrants make vital contributions to the economic stability and <br />cultural richness of the United States, yet remain vulnerable to exploitation, victimization and <br />stigmatization as long as they are denied legal immigration status and meaningful access to <br />higher education. <br />G. <br /> The Dream Act is a bipartisan legislation effort to address this problem, supported <br />by Senators Merkley and Wyden and co-sponsored by Congressmen Blumenauer and Wu. <br />H. <br /> The United States Supreme Court has determined that every state has a <br />constitutional obligation to provide free public primary and secondary education to all children <br />residing within their borders regardless of their immigration status. <br />Resolution - Page 1 of 2 <br /> <br />