More than 400 students and activists marched through the Market District of San Francisco Dec. 3 to rally in support of the DREAM Act, the bill in congress addressing illegal immigrants brought to America by their parents before they were 16. The Senate will likely vote on the bill the week of Dec. 6.

The rally started at noon at the Federal Building on Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street. After several speakers, the rally turned into a march and made its way up Market Street to McKesson Plaza at the corner of Market and Montgomery Streets.

At the McKesson Plaza speakers from all over California shared their stories and their views. Students drove up from Los Angeles, Sacramento and other places around California.

UC Berkeley student Luis A. Reyes helped organize of the rally. “As organizers, we were surprised by the turn out,” he said. It was inspiring, especially considering all the conference calls and late nights everyone put in, he said.

Reyes was happy with the result. “We kept it peaceful and we got a lot of publicity,” he said. The movement for citizenship for students is starting to solidify a network of Dream Activists in Northern California, which he said he was excited for.

Students representing more than 12 campuses community colleges, CSUs and UCs attended the rally, from San Jose State to Napa Valley Community College, Berkeley City College, San Francisco State and others.

Reyes said he is fighting for the millions of illegal immigrants whose parents brought them to the U.S. and who want “an opportunity for the American Dream, to get a job and be someone.”

The DREAM Act addresses the issue concerning illegal immigrants who had no choice in crossing the border. “There is a huge injustice that many people don’t know about,” Reyes said. “They grew up as Americans, they think they are American, then they get out of high school and they can’t get a job or financial aid to go to school.”

The Dream Act would give legal residency to immigrants who arrived before the age of 16, resided in the United States for at least five years, graduated from high school and completed two years of college or honorable military service. They would be subject to background checks and could not have a criminal record. Even if granted residency, they would not be eligible for federal grant scholarships. When enacted, the law would apply to those under the age of 35.

Different versions of immigration reform and the DREAM Act have been voted on in Congress since 2001.  The text of the bill was placed on two failed immigration reform bills in 2007 and 2008. Later in 2007, it was placed as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Bill for 2008. The three major problems opponents had with the bill was it didn’t require out-of-state tuition for beneficiaries of the bill, didn’t have an age cap and was regarded as adding separate issues to a military bill.

Opponents claim it will cost $6.2 billion per year to cover the costs that will come from the bill and it will crowd out students current U.S. students.

Sandra Huerta is a San Jose State student who marched and spoke at the rally. “It went good,” she said. “It was pretty diverse; there were lots of students and good speakers,” she said.

Huerta said we are all brothers and sisters and that all of us, illegal immigrants and American citizens, are people. “We have more in common than people believe.”

“If it passes we are still going to organize. A lot of people are not covered by it,” Reyes said. “It’s not over. This is the beginning.”