Church hears speakers for DREAM Act

ELKIN – Moises Serrano, a Mexican immigrant who was raised mostly in the United States but is not authorized to be in the country, didn 't choose to cross the US border. Serrano was less than 2 at the time. His parents made ​​that decision while fleeing poverty and violence about two decades ago – ultimately to pick tobacco fields as migrant workers in North Carolina, Serrano said Sunday in a small church in Elkin. "My mom blames herself every day for bringing me here. She says, 'It ' s my fault. '… But I tell her not to blame herself. The people that I love are here. This is my country, "Serrano said. Now 21, Serrano told his story as one of two guest speakers taking part in a national campaign known as DREAM Sabbath in 2011. About 300 houses of worship, including 10 in North Carolina, are participating in the campaign during September and October to raise awareness about the DREAM Act, proposed federal legislation that would give young, educated immigrants such as Serrano a pathway to legal status. Opponents of the DREAM Act say, among other things, that such immigrants take jobs and that allowing them to correct their legal status is tantamount to giving them amnesty and will encourage more illegal immigration. Supporters say immigrants such as Serrano should not be punished for something their parents did and that these young people are assets to society. (Excerpt) Read more at 2.journalnow.com …