Amid Arizona immigration protests, a new generation dreams of the Dream Act

PHOENIX -- Among the 10,000 or so protesters who gathered in front of the state Capitol here last weekend under a scorching sun, one group stood out. Despite the heat, they wore graduation caps and gowns in shiny royal blue and sunburst yellow.

They were graduates of American colleges, young people who mostly grew up in the United States, accidental Americans who just happen to be living here illegally.

Like the rest of the crowd, they came to protest Arizona's controversial new immigration enforcement law, but they also sought recognition of a long-sought goal -- passage of the Dream Act, federal legislation that would provide a path toward legal status for people like them, undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children by their parents.

Unlike their parents, however, these young people aren't keeping quiet about their immigration status. They are staging protests around the country, risking arrest and deportation. It's something their parents, for the most part, would never thinkof doing. But as this group of mostly 20-somethings sees it, they are American in every way -- except on paper. They have lived in the United States for at least 10 years. They speak perfect English and attended grade schools and universities here. They have American friends, American lifestyles and typical American sensibilities.

And what's more American than speaking out?

"In school we learned that if you do everything right and live by the rules, that you'll be rewarded, that everything will pay off, that you can be whatever you want to be," said Lizbeth Mateo, 25, who came to this country from Mexico at age 14. "We really believed that. We never felt different from other American kids, and now we want to start contributing to our country and make our country better."

In the past few weeks, as public criticism of Arizona's law has grown, several young activists have been arrested while engaging in civil disobedience. They've sought to capitalize on a moment when Americans are fixated on immigration to draw attention to their own political battle. Though they despise the Arizona law, they don't want the Dream Act to get lost in the debate. They support comprehensive reform that would provide a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in this country, but they want separate legislation -- "a down payment" for the roughly 1.5 million people who would be eligible for the Dream Act -- passed in the interim.

These young people are tired of waiting. So they are staging sit-ins at the district offices of members of Congress and blocking traffic in front of federal buildings. In some cases, those arrested may face deportation to countries where they have not lived for many years and where they no longer have strong ties.

"We've been organizing for years," said Yahaira Carrillo, 25, who came to the United States at age 8 with her parents. "We've done everything else that we could, the faxing letters to Congress, the lobbying, the letter-writing campaigns, the conference panels, the media interviews. What else do we need to do for our political leaders to hear us?"

Carrillo was one of five students who took part in a sit-in last month outside the Tucson office of Sen. John McCain (R). They were hoping to convince the senator to help revive the Dream Act legislation. Instead, four of them were arrested and are awaiting a court hearing later this month. Three of the students, including Carrillo, are undocumented.

And if they face deportation? "That's something that we'll deal with when we have to," Carrillo says calmly.

That fearlessness -- or naivete -- separates Carrillo's generation from that of her parents. This divide was evident at the protest last Saturday. "These are different times," said Irene, an older immigrant from El Salvador who took part in the march and did not give her last name for fear of repercussions at her job. "Our kids are of a different time. They feel they are a more vital part of America."