Today’s Washington Post features a photo of an undocumented student, Diana Martinez, 18, being handcuffed by a police officer yesterday after she participated in a sit-in in a U.S. Senate building to push for passage of the DREAM Act.
The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors—or DREAM Act—was last introduced into Congress in 2009. The bill says that undocumented youths who meet certain criteria and attend college or serve in the military for at least two years would be put on the path to legalization. Opponents say it’s a form of “amnesty” for people who have broken U.S. laws.
Student activists pushing for its passage have become increasingly bold. During actions this week in Washington to raise awareness about the act, some undocumented students, such as Martinez, have been getting arrested, the Post reports. In May, undocumented students staged a protest in front of Republican Sen. John McCain’s office in Arizona; three were arrested and are in deportation proceedings, according to the Post.