Contact: Sharon Singh, [email protected], 202-675-8579, @spksingh
(Washington, D.C.) – Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) executive director Suzanne Nossel issued the following statement in response to the successful ‘yes’ vote to secure the Maryland DREAM Act, which appeared as Question 4 on the Maryland ballot. AIUSA has worked as part of the Educating Maryland Kids Coalition that campaigned to defend the Maryland DREAM Act.
“The securing of the Maryland DREAM Act is a victory for immigrant and human rights communities. It is clear that Maryland voters understand that it is right and fair that young undocumented immigrants whose families file taxes and who have been to Maryland high schools can fulfill their dream of going to college. These students will now have the opportunity to get a higher education and further contribute to our communities.
“Education is a human right, and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights. It now falls to the U.S. government to follow Maryland's lead – and the lead of 12 other states – in ensuring that all students can follow their dreams.
“A federal DREAM Act would be an important step towards desperately-needed comprehensive reform of an immigration system that is discriminatory and unjust. The United States must move past discrimination and respect and protect the human rights of all immigrants, regardless of status.”
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.