Texas Congressman: Undocumented Student’s Tragic Suicide Underscores Need For DREAM Act

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) spoke to his House colleagues this morning about the tragic suicide of Joaquin Luna, an 18-year-old undocumented immigrant in Texas who committed suicide because his immigration status left him trapped and out of options. His brother Diyer Mendoza said Luna had wanted to be an engineer but didn’t think he could get into college or even get a job as an undocumented immigrant without the DREAM Act.

In his speech today, Hinojosa said Luna’s death underscores the need for the DREAM Act, which would give undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children legal status if they meet certain criteria. Last year, the House passed the DREAM Act, but it failed in the Senate. In his remarks, Hinojosa spoke about the talented students who could qualify under the DREAM Act:

In the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and Across the country, DREAM students have excelled in school, and become valedictorian, and AP scholars, and student leaders, despite facing difficult circumstances. [...]

Many of these students are working tirelessly to earn their high school and college diplomas and aspire to become professionals in the sectors of our workforce which need their talent, skills, and ingenuity.

Watch Hinojosa’s floor speech:

“Simply stated, these talented youth can help our nation increase its global competitiveness and be the innovators of tomorrow,” Hinojosa said, urging his colleagues to co-sponsor the DREAM Act.