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Close to 300 are expected to march at noon tomorrow from Bruin Plaza to Janss Steps to support a federal bill currently on the floor of the Senate that would allow children of illegal immigrants more opportunity in higher education.

Rally organizers want to target Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R- Tenn., so he will push other senators to support the bill, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.

Passage of the act will allow immigrant students who have grown up in the United States, graduated from high school in the country, and demonstrated good moral character, to qualify initially for “conditional lawful permanent resident” status, which would typically last for six years. During this period, the high school graduate would be required to go to college, serve two years in the military, or work a minimum of 910 hours of community service.

At the end of the conditional period, those who meet at least one of these requirements would be eligible for regular lawful permanent resident status.

Students from the campus organizations Immigrant Rights Coalition and MEChA have been working in cooperation with non-profit organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund for about a month to organize the rally .

Speakers that include UCLA students, alumni as well as high school students, are scheduled to give testimonials about the importance of attaining a higher education as an illegal immigrant.

Voter registration and phone-in opportunities for students to urge Sen. Frist to pass the bill will conclude the rally.

Because this controversial issue also affects the community at-large as well as the college community, many non-UCLA students are expected to attend, including at least three buses of local high school students.

The “Dream Team,” a coalition of L.A. groups that have collaborated to help pass the bill, has been actively organizing in the community and working with rally organizers to bring in participants.

Gustavo De Haros, a student participant in the Immigrant Rights Coalition, said the rally was organized to occur at Janss Steps to emulate the speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. at UCLA in 1955.

“We want to make a connection between his struggle and the immigrant community,” De Haros said.

The DREAM Act is a bi-partisan bill that was introduced on July 31, 2003 by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and is supported by Calif. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Daniella Conde, the MEChA community and labor coordinator, believes the passage of the bill may alleviate additional burdens on undocumented students, especially in light of the burden caused by fee hikes.

Currently, children derive their immigration status solely from their parents. When their parents are undocumented, the children have little chance of obtaining legal residency.

“Sixty-five thousand illegal immigrants graduate from high school every year in the U.S.,” said Kenia Rivera, a member of the educational committee of Immigrant Rights Coalition. “Think about the influence that these people could have on our economy if given a college education.”

Opponents to the bill fear its passage would increase illegal immigration, possibly causing a large-scale amnesty movement. Plus, admission for illegal students will take away slots for legal residents, says Dan Stein, the executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform on the organization’s Web site.

Because of the upcoming elections in November, supporters of the bill fear that momentum to pass it will be replaced with campaigning efforts.

“We will have to start again from scratch,” De Haros said.