This January, four immigrant college students from Florida began a fifteen hundred mile pilgrimage, “risking their future because the present is unbearable” (Matos, 23, in interview). Their ultimate destination was Washington, D.C. as they advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that would include the DREAM Act. The DREAMers (as potential recipients are called) arrived this week, joined by a contingent from New York completing their own 250-mile walk to Washington.

The DREAM Act would grant permanent residency to students who immigrated as minors, exhibit good moral character and complete two years of college or military service. President Obama voiced his support for this bill in a speech delivered to the National Council of La Raza as a presidential candidate in 2008, “The system isn’t working … when a young person at the top of her class — a young person with so much to offer this country — can’t attend a public college.”

Last week, Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Lugar (R-IN) sent a joint letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano asking her to halt the deportation of possible DREAM Act beneficiaries. Currently, 15% of the undocumented population is comprised of children, and 65,000 of these students graduate from high school each year without access to federal and most private aid. As a result, only about 3,200 go on to college.

These youth are making their presence known. Last week, nine college students were arrested as they chained themselves to the Arizona Capitol building in protest to SB1070. Responding to the letter from Durbin and Lugar, one of the Miami-to-DC walkers, 22-year-old Carlos Roa , stated, “the leadership of Senators Lugar and Durbin truly empowers us as a youth movement.” Adding to her fellow marcher’s comment Gabby Pacheco, 25, stated:

Our dream is the opportunity to fully participate in U.S. society, but we cannot become the professionals we wish to be because we are undocumented. … We have been waiting for years to speak up about our situation as immigrant students. President Obama, we cannot wait any longer, please don’t deport us from our home.

Building on the current momentum, United We Dream, a coalition that has championed the DREAM Act during its 10 year existence, stated: “Change takes courage, and we are not afraid.”

Perhaps this was exactly the boost of energy that the campaign for comprehensive immigration reform needed. We hope that these actions can further move us toward the day when:

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ... and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)

Please take action and support Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Marco Saavedra is a campaign intern for Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.