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(image via trail2010.org)

In a few weeks, an estimated 65,000 undocumented immigrants in the U.S. will graduate from high school, watching their dreams crumble as they struggle to survive. To combat this and other injustices, people across the country will gather on Saturday (May 1) to protest our immigration system.

MTV Tr3s Senior Producer Daniela Capistrano spoke with the Trail of Dreams group about their event in Washington D.C. and the journey that brought them there.

Juan, Felipe, Gaby and Carlos — undocumented Hispanic students in their 20s — took turns on Friday (April 30) introducing themselves to me through a crackling speaker phone, doing their best to condense years of unspeakable hardships.

All graduated high school with honors but were unable to attend universities. All were prohibited at various times from applying for a drivers license or library card. Sadly, each one of them shared similar stories of working odd jobs for less than minimum wage and standing by helplessly while family members were brutally dragged to jail and deported.

These are the voices of the Trail of Dreams group — young activists committed to convincing President Barack Obama to pass the DREAM Act (The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act). Beginning in January 2010, they marched 1,500 miles with other undocumented students and allies to Capitol Hill. On Saturday (May 1) they will stand with over 1,000 other students to demand the basic rights that many of us take for granted.

The DREAM Act, a bipartisan legislation pioneered by Sen. Orin Hatch [R-UT] and Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL], would provide qualifying undocumented youth with a 6 year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service.

"Nobody feels good about the situation these kids are in," says Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for reduced immigration. "It was the decision of their parents to violate the law that put their children in this difficult situation."

For Carlos Roa, a 22 year old Trail of Dreams member who left Venezuela in 1987 with his parents, the DREAM Act would mean a chance for a new start — without living in fear.

"Senior year was depressing," Carlos recalled. "Friends were looking forward to graduating and their futures, while I felt like my life was going backwards and down the drain. I remember the assistant principal asking me, 'What are you going to do after high school?' I didn't know what to tell him. I ended up saying I was going to join the armed forces, knowing that I couldn't legally do that. After high school, I ended up working [low paying] odd jobs, 6 days a week. It was a difficult time."

After Carlos' mother passed away from cancer in 2006, the honor student who had dreamed of being an architect found himself unemployed and evicted. "It was tough for me," Carlos admitted. "I was 18 years old and I couldn't do anything. About a year after her death I told myself I could no longer live being undocumented or voiceless."

Carlos proceeded to submit his story to newspapers and magazines, eventually reaching Julia Preston at the New York Times. Her response (and other support) led to his involvement in the Trail of Dreams campaign.

(See more photos from their journey in our "Trail of Dreams" photo gallery!)

Gabby Pacheco, a 25 year old activist who remembers racing home after school to watch "TRL" on MTV, feels that everything changed when immigration came to her door. "After that, my activism hit another level. When the Trail of Dreams project was presented to me — after earning 3 degrees and seeing how life was going no where — I knew I had to do something."

Pacheco and her friends are tired after their trek to D.C., but not defeated. They also understand that others are afraid too. On their 1,500-mile walk, they were exposed to the other side of the immigration issue. Felipe Matos shared what it was like to be confronted by a minutemen member who was convinced it was their fault his wife was dying:

"Through out this journey, we've seen the power that sharing stories has on people.

A man in South Carolina who's eyes were watering because he was so angry, [approached us] to say that his wife needed an organ transplant. Because there was no donor, the [doctors] told them she only had a couple of months to live. He told us, 'It's all your fault because immigrants are talking all resources, she will die because of you!' We saw him as a man deeply in love with his wife, who was deeply concerned for her. We shared our story as students, as leaders who have only tried to contribute and we listened to his story and pain.

By the end, Gabby gave him hug and afterward he said, 'I'm sorry, you're completely not what I expected you to be.' So, lots of hearts and minds have changed along the journey. By sharing stories with the President, hopefully we can end this suffering."

Believing in Obama's campaign promises to support the Dream Act and immigration reform, the trekkers are refusing to be satisfied with simply meeting with a White House official — "We want to talk to him," Pacheco says.

For Juan Rodriguez, a 20 year old student from Colombia who lost all of his family through deportation, advocating for the DREAM Act empowers him to move past tragedy and help others. "I've seen how [current immigration law] has torn apart anything that was meaningful in my life. I want those same injustices to stop happening to millions of people facing terror on a daily basis."

With controversial immigration laws pending in Arizona and other states, even U.S. citizens who simply appear Hispanic are in danger of harassment from immigration officials. "We have to do something," Gabby explained. "No more talk — now it's time to act."

Supporters who would like to sign the DREAM Act petition can do so by simply texting TRAIL to 30644 on their mobile phones.

For more ways to show your support, send your feedback to @Trail2010 on Twitter, visit trail2010.org to learn more about the DREAM Act and participate in ongoing immigration events in your town.

The views expressed in this post by Daniela Capistrano do not necessarily reflect the views of Viacom, MTV Tr3s, Blogamole, MTV Networks or any other subsidiaries.

Tags DREAM ACt, Immigration, May 1st, protest, SB 1070, Trail of Dreams