The advocacy group of the Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, revealed a brand new pro immigration advert last week that capped off seven days of intense activity for FWD.us. The advert, entitled “Serve,” featured an undocumented immigrant named Alejandro Morales, whose wish is to serve in the US military.
Morales came to Chicago when he was aged just seven months old, meaning that the United States “is the only country he’s ever known” but he is not allowed to serve in the military due to the fact that he is an undocumented immigrant. Morales is what advocates of immigration reform refer to as a “Dreamer,” someone who came to the United States illegally when they were just a child.
“I do want to give back,” Morales says in the advert. “I believe 100 percent in what this country stands for. Let me earn it. Let me serve.” Major players in the tech industry are backing FWD.us, who are pushing for immigration reform that features the DREAM Act as well as the offer of a pathway to US citizenship for immigrants who came to the country when they were just children.
Last year the DREAM Act failed in Congress, but an even bigger fight is expected now that legislation for broad immigration reform is moving from the Senate to the House of Representatives, which is one of the reasons why the advocacy group is increasing its efforts, as US lawmakers have now headed home for their summer recess.