There's nothing wrong with dreaming, is there? Gaby Pacheco, Juan Rodriguez, Felipe Matos and Carlos Roa are dreamers. But they are not just sitting around, wishing and hoping that maybe one day their dreams will come true. These four young immigrants are becoming the symbol of tens of thousands of young people who are in this country illegally and want nothing more than to have access to higher education and contribute to the country that they see as their own.

Gaby, Juan, Felipe and Carlos took the high road, literally, in early April and walked 1,500 miles from Miami to Washington, D.C., to ask President Barack Obama and members of the U.S. Congress to stop the deportation of young undocumented students and to pass the pending Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, which would allow them to have legal status in this country and realize their dream of attending universities. On the way, they collected more than 40,000 signatures in support of their petition.

It is estimated that some 65,000 young immigrants would benefit yearly from the DREAM Act. They are undocumented students who were brought to this country at an early age by their parents; they had no say in the matter. Most see the U.S. as their country, and never have been back to the place where they were born. They have now graduated from high school, and wish to continue their education but can't. They are not allowed to pay in-state tuition fees and cannot apply for financial aid. They cannot work legally to pay for their studies. They are not allowed access to universities.

The “dreamers,” as these four young people are referred to, are living example of people whose dreams for a better future are being curtailed by our broken immigration system. Gaby, who came to the U.S. from Ecuador at the age of 7, holds three degrees in education from Miami Dade College. She would like to go on to graduate school and eventually earn a Ph.D. to practice music therapy and work with autistic children.

Felipe, born in Brazil, also attended Miami Dade College, and graduated with honors, top in the state and among the top 20 in the country. He would like to become a teacher, as he believes education is the only way out of poverty, but he cannot attend a university.

Carlos was only 2 years old when he was brought to the U.S. from Venezuela; he's never been back, and if deported, would feel as if he were in a foreign country.

Of the four, Juan is the only one who has been able to earn legal status; however, the rest of his family members were denied political asylum and had to return to war-ravaged Colombia.

On May 17, another four students, three of them undocumented, were detained, and faced deportation for holding a sit-in at the office of Sen. John McCain in Tucson, Ariz., asking for his support of the DREAM Act. An aide to McCain said the senator understands the students' frustration, but “elections have consequences.” She added, “They should focus their efforts on the president and the Democrats that control the agenda in Congress.”

Yes, elections do have consequences, but a comment like that coming from the McCain camp is ironic. The Arizona senator, who co- 
sponsored immigration-reform legislation that opened the way to legalization for undocumented immigrants already in the country, is now a supporter of the infamous Arizona law that criminalizes undocumented immigrants. He is running a tight race to keep his seat in the Senate against a very vocal radio talk-show host with an anti-immigrant agenda.

The DREAM Act has been stuck for years in the quagmire that the immigration debate has become. Should it be included in a comprehensive  
immigration-reform package, or go to a vote on its own? All we can do is hope our elected officials can put their political bickering aside and get their act together by getting behind the DREAM Act. These young people deserve an opportunity to become the lawful, productive members of our society that they so much aspire to be. For now, instead of a dream, they are living an unnecessary nightmare.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www .mariaesalinas.com)

© 2010 by Maria Elena Salinas

Distributed by King Features Syndicate