Name Change

Name Change

1. The Dreamer narrative is outdated. The Dreamer narrative was a political strategy to help pass a federal reform that only benefited young immigrants in school or in the military. The narrative reinforced the criminalization of older immigrants creating a division between “good” immigrants vs. “bad” immigrants. In addition, the letter A in DREAMer stands for alien, and we do not want to continue reinforcing the xenophobia in this country. Our center is here to uplift both students and their families.
2. The word Immigrant is more representative and inclusive of the population we serve. We have students, faculty, and staff who are systematically impacted by our immigration system, and we have seen an increase of people from mixed-status families benefiting from our services. We are also serving people who have adjusted or are in the process of adjusting their immigration status. These students are not “dreamers,” but they are immigrants who continue to face unique challenges and need our support.