Social action website Change.org will present 10 "Ideas for Change" to President-Elect Barack Obama before he takes office this month. Three ideas supporting immigrant rights have made it to the final round of voting. Your vote can help show Obama and other activists that immigrant rights must be a part of the national movement for progressive social change.

The final round of voting started today and will end January 15. On January 16, the 10 ideas that receive the most votes will be presented to Obama at an event co-hosted by The Case Foundation at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The policies that receive the most support also will form the basis of a nationwide Change.org advocacy campaign to turn each idea into actual policy.

The three ideas that made it to the final round of voting in the immigration category are:

Pass the DREAM Act Now - Support higher education for all students

Many American students graduate from college and high school each year, and face a roadblock to their dreams: they can't drive, can't work legally, can't further their education, and can't pay taxes to contribute to the economy just because they were brought to this country illegally by their parents or lost legal status along the way.

The federal DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), is a bipartisan legislation that would permit these students conditional legal status and eventual citizenship granted that they meet ALL the following requirements:
--if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16, are below the age of 30,
--have lived here continuously for five years,
--graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED
--have good moral character with no criminal record and
--attend college or enlist in the military.

Equal Immigration Rights for Same-Sex Binational Couples 

Right now, gay and lesbian Americans in a loving and committed relationship with a partner from another country cannot sponsor their partner for a green card in order to stay together in theUnited States. These same-sex binational couples are denied the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts ... Help change this by casting your vote for equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples. Your vote will open dialogue in Congress and with President Obama about the need to pass the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which will allow all Americans to sponsor a foreign partner for a green card and recognize all relationships equally for immigration purposes.

Provide Relief for Families of Immigrants 

Millions of undocumented immigrants reside in the U.S. Every year thousands of them enter into a family relationship with an American, often through marriage.

Contrary to what many believe, when an undocumented immigrant marries a U.S. citizen, the path to legalization is long, and in some cases, impossible. In the past year, thousands of  families have been separated due to the increase in workplace raids. ... Please work on a bill that allows relatives of U.S. citizens to adjust their status in the U.S., or eliminate the unlawful presence bars that prevent family reunification. Stop the raids that relentlessly separate families. Finally, bring the undocumented population out of the shadows with a fair and reasonable reform that allows them to work toward lawful status in the U.S.

A student DREAM Act activist sent NIJC a message about why the Change.org  vote is important:

I am an undocumented student, and find it extremely difficult to pursue my college education due to a status I inherited from my parents. Being brought to the United States at the age of 12, raised and brought to an American lifestyle, to graduating high school in 2007 at the top of my class. The DREAM Act would help me, and students in my situation, realize our dreams of becoming active members of society by allowing us to attend school or join the military.

...

Remember that is now a new year, this is our time to bring the Change that was promised to us. Let us work together towards a common goal, and enjoy the role we play in society as activists and advocated for not only immigrants, but education as a whole.

How to vote and endorse ideas:

Click on the link for each idea, read the proposed idea, and click on the blue "Vote!" box on the top-left corner, near the beginning of the text. The box will turn red once you've voted. Individuals and nonprofits/bloggers each can vote for 10 ideas.

Bloggers and non-profits can endorse an idea by clicking on "Click Here to Endorse this Idea" on the right side of each idea you want to endorse. Fill in your organization's details, and submit.