DREAM Act protest comes to Fresno

"I want to help my family. I want to contribute to this country." Chavez said.

Without the ability to become citizens, students like Adrianna Sanchez, who, will graduate from Fresno State this spring -- say they will face a bleak future.

"When we graduate since we are undocumented we cannot work our degree," said Sanchez. "We have to go back to working like our parents in the fields working in service jobs."

Fresno State Political Science Professor Tom Holyoke notes there's a strong anti-immigrant movement fighting the DREAM Act. "They see it really as a back door towards amnesty for illegal immigrants."

The protestors also rallied in front of the office of Republican Congressman George Radanovich. Both Costa and Radanovich want the act linked to other immigration issues.

In a statement Radanovich said: "Until the DREAM Act includes a viable guest worker program I cannot consider voting in favor of this bill."

In a letter Costa wrote: "Any intermediate immigration solution, [like the DREAM Act,} must contain Ag Jobs."

Ag Jobs is measure to allow farmers to hire guest workers.

But Holyoke says; don't count on anything being passed before the end of the year. "The DREAM act itself doesn't appear to be going anywhere in Congress right now."

That's because Republicans in the Senate stated on Wednesday that nothing else passes, until the Bush Tax cuts are made permanent.