Joaquin Luna has become the poster-child for the resurrection of the American DREAM Act, an initiative to give permanent residency in the United States to a select group of illegal minors.
The 18-year-old's tale of suicide on Friday in Mission over fears he would never achieve his dream to become an engineer because of his undocumented status, is echoed on the floor of the US House of Representatives.
"Brought to the United States as an infant, Joaquin attended our nation's public schools, played the guitar at his church, and hoped to go to college and achieve the American dream," Congressman Ruben Hinojosa said.
Joaquin's family stand behind their belief the Juarez-Lincoln High School senior decided to sacrifice himself for the cause.
Congress blocked the DREAM Act last year.
The proposed legislation would allow students who graduate from high school or earn a GED the opportunity to obtain legal status if they complete 2 years of college or military service and have lived in the U.S. for
at least 5 years.
"In the Río Grande Valley of deep South Texas and across the country, DREAM students have excelled in school, and become valedictorians, and advanced placement scholars, and student leaders, despite facing difficult circumstances," the democratic congressman from Texas said.
Joaquin's untimely death undoubtedly casts a dramatic spotlight on the hundreds of thousands of illegal-immigrant students who are caught in the middle of a decision their parents made when they were young and the realities of U.S. immigration law.
A source close to the suicide investigation claims the DREAM Act is never mentioned in any of Joaquin's notes he left to family members and a friend.
Those who don't support the DREAM Act, say it amounts to nothing more than amnesty.
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