St. Thomas University Calls Press Conference: Urge Congress to Pass 'Dream Act'

MIAMI, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- St. Thomas University has called a press conference Tuesday, November 30, to raise awareness of the merits of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2009 (DREAM ACT), urging voters to contact their Congress representatives in support of legislative reform that would provide legal status and educational opportunities to immigrant youngsters who entered the United States as minor children. This legislation applies to students in both public and private schools, including those attending Catholic schools. The University, nationally recognized for its long-standing human rights initiatives and intercultural human rights degrees, shares the vision of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) of finding solutions for thousands of young persons who simply want to advance through education and contribute to the future socioeconomic vitality of the nation. Archbishop Thomas Wenski, a long-standing, immigrant advocacy leader in the national scene, including  the USCCB Committee on Migration, will be among the press conference's keynote speakers.

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St. Thomas University is also backing its outstanding student body through the news briefing following an incident that affected the life of one of its student athletes. On the evening of November 19, a member of the STU soccer team was driving independently from the team to Maine for the soccer national championships. He was stopped and detained by the United States Border Patrol for not having documentation for his legal presence in the United States. "In consultation with the University's Senior Staff and the student's family, I made the decision to assist the student in whatever way possible in an attempt to secure his release and return to Miami," says St. Thomas President, Monsignor Franklyn Casale. "The University sent one of the attorneys of its Human Rights Institute to Portland, Jennifer Volmar, where the student was detained. The Institute's Director, Christine Reis, has been in constant communication with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement personnel in Maine and pursued various legal options to secure his release. I am glad to inform our STU community that the student will be granted a Stay of Deportation until June 2009, when he is expected to graduate. He has returned to Miami and will be present at the press conference. The University also thanks Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for her ongoing support towards a successful outcome. "

Simultaneous to the press conference, St. Thomas University students are engaging fellow classmates in a rally to call other college students to action, joining STU students' signature drive to petition Congress members to pass the Dream Act, expected to go to congressional vote the week of November 29. The Act would allow immigrant students to become conditional legal permanent residents upon meeting certain conditions, such as having arrived in the United States before the age of 16. The press conference is open to media and the general public. For further information and to arrange interviews, please direct all media inquiries to Marivi Prado, Chief Marketing Officer, at [email protected].

WHO:  St. Thomas University

Press conference participants: Archbishop Thomas Wenski; St. Thomas University President, Monsignor Franklyn Casale; Human Rights Institute Director, Christine Reis

WHAT: Press Conference "Support Dream Act" & Student Athlete Testimonial

WHEN: Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 10:00 am

WHERE: Evelyn & George Goldbloom Convocation Hall, 16401 NW 37 Avenue, Miami Gardens

About St. Thomas University

St. Thomas University is dedicated to its mission of "Developing Leaders for Life." An urban, student-centered, Catholic university with rich cultural and international diversity, St. Thomas University has been developing leaders who contribute to the economic and cultural vitality of the regions they serve.  Designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, the University has earned a reputation for academic excellence and is renowned as an international leader in human rights, sports administration, business degrees and sciences and is one of the few US universities to offer undergraduate scientific research. Programs of study are offered at the undergraduate, graduate and law school levels. Its Human Rights Institute has gained outstanding national recognition. For more information, visit www.stu.edu.

SOURCE St. Thomas University