President Obama this morning will restore the dreams of as many as 1 million young aspiring citizens when he signs an executive order halting the deportation of those young immigrants who would be eligible for U.S. residency under the terms of the DREAM Act. For several years, Republican lawmakers in Congress have blocked the DREAM Act.

Ai-jen Poo director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), and Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition, have been named to the 2012 Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Several hundred young people from California, Florida, Arizona and Texas took part in the Voto Latino Power Summit in Los Angeles this past weekend, joining local community leaders in a two-day event to empower young Latinos to create positive change in their communities.

With the federal version of the DREAM Act stalled in Congress, 13 states have adopted their own versions. But those laws have become targets of right-wing extremists connected to groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

When the 45 AFL-CIO Union Summer 2011 interns are asked what they did for their summer vacation, they won’t have any stories about lounging on the beach or backpacking through Europe. But the will tell about making a real difference in people’s lives and about how much that involvement has contributed to their sense of social justice.

Even though her family came to this country legally and has followed the law, Kosa has been told she would be deported in less than a year.  Despite years of hard work and achievement, she cannot become a citizen under current immigration laws.