POE Student Gets involved

On January 16, 2020, I visited the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, VA to meet with elected representatives to advocate for legislation and issues important to Virginia’s immigrant communities. As part of the Mason Dreamers organization, some of the issues important to the George Mason University community are to provide in-state tuition for all undocumented students who have graduated from a Virginia high school and to provide access to Driver’s License for all immigrants in Virginia. We believed these two changes to Virginia law would enrich our community and the lives of many. As a group, we were given a list of delegates to speak with. Entering the General Assembly for the first time was eye-opening because it made me feel empowered to make change to society, especially in Virginia. My group, including myself, shared personal stories with legislators on how providing legislation to help undocumented immigrants for higher education and driver’s licenses would be greatly. I spoke with delegates Alfonso H. Lopez and Kathy Tran, among others. The responses we received from the delegates and their legislative aids were very welcoming. Everyone was interested in the issues we expressed and as a whole, we gained the support of many delegates and legislators hoping that in the near future, there are laws that grant in-state tuition and driver’s licenses for all.