Immigrant rights groups are trying to convince Washington state Senators to make undocumented students eligible for financial aid.
The so-called DREAM Act failed last year in Olympia. Monday, more than 500 members of Washington’s Muslim American community marched at the capitol. It was the fifth annual Muslim Lobby Day.
"If there is anyway to help them receive financial aid or subsides for college and universities to get an education here even if they are undocumented, then that's something I think we should all work to achieve," says Qasim Hatem, a scholar of Islam, who teaches immigrants and their children.
The Democratically-controlled Washington House approved the DREAM Act on the first day of the Legislative session. It’s not clear whether it has enough yes votes in the state Senate, which is run by a mostly Republican coalition caucus.