Now 21, Serrano told his story as one of two guest speakers taking

　　Serrano was less than 2 at the time. His parents made that decision while fleeing poverty and violence about two decades ago — ultimately to pick tobacco fields as migrant workers in North Carolina, Serrano said Sunday in a small church in Elkin.

"My mom blames herself every day for bringing me here. She says, 'It's my fault.' … But I tell her not to blame herself. The people that I love are here. This is my country," Serrano said.
Now 21, Serrano told his story as one of two guest speakers taking part in a national campaign known as DREAM Sabbath 2011.
About 300 houses of worship, including 10 in North Carolina, are participating in the campaign during September and October to raise awareness about the DREAM Act, proposed federal legislation that would give young, educated immigrants such as Serrano a pathway to legal status.
Opponents of the DREAM Act say, among other things, that such immigrants take jobs and that allowing them to correct their legal status is tantamount to giving them amnesty and will encourage more illegal immigration. Supporters say immigrants such as Serrano should not be punished for something their parents did and that these young people are assets to society.
Standing in front of the congregation at Gallaway Memorial Episcopal Church, Serrano said his parents had no food for him when he was an infant in Mexico, and that's why they made a treacherous journey on foot, walking across a desert for three weeks to make the crossing when Serrano was about 18 months old, he said.
The family ended up in Yadkin County, he said. Meanwhile, Serrano attended elementary, middle and high school in the county and graduated with stellar grades. Along the way, he said, he was a member of several school and civic clubs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Now, he speaks with a hint of a Southern accent, and he is no stranger to saying such phrases as "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am." It wasn't until he was about 16 that he started picking up other terms.
"They called me a 'coconut' — brown on the outside and white on the inside," he said, referring to his school days. He also started hearing the word "undocumented." Its meaning truly hit him when he graduated, Serrano said.
"My best friend was going to go off to college to be somebody, and I was going to stay here and be nobody," he said.
"We are not criminals," Serrano continued. "All we want to do is get an education and give back. … I want to own a house. I want to settle down."
One of the goals of the DREAM Sabbath, which was organized by the Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition, is to dispel what immigrant advocates say are myths about "dreamers."
After the service, some of those issues were raised. Several church members gathered in a house next door for lunch, with two long tables offering such plates as deviled eggs, chicken, barbecue, green beans, salad, rolls and several types of dessert. While eating, church members asked questions.
One asked what percentage of "undocumented immigrants" pay taxes, which prompted church member Karin Littlejohn, a tax attorney, to respond that the percentage is surprisingly higher than some people may think.
They pay sales, property and income taxes, she said.
Many use an ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, she said. The Internal Revenue Service issues these numbers to certain individuals who are not eligible to obtain a Social Security number, according to the IRS. The ITIN is issued regardless of immigration status.
Littlejohn expressed her support for the DREAM Act by citing Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the Republican presidential candidate who has drawn fire for supporting the DREAM Act and saying to those who oppose it: "I don't think you have a heart."
"It's true," Littlejohn said. "You don't have a heart."
Although church officials said there are differences of opinion within the church on the DREAM Act, most of the church members at the lunch seemed to support the legislation. For example, Ann Mayberry of Elkin said she was willing to get involved.
"Now what do we do? I'm 81, almost, so I'm not marching," she said, joking.
Martin Rodriguez, who recently participated in a sit-in protest in Charlotte, said contacting members of Congress is one step. Wooten Gough, a U.S. citizen who helped start the advocacy group El Cambio in Yadkinville, said voting is another way to get involved.
Llewellyn Churchill of Yadkinville told Serrano and Rodriguez not to give up hope, noting the resistance Irish immigrants met during the turn of the last century.
"Our history is full of problems accepting new families. Cheer up! This isn't the first time this has happened," Churchill said.
On Sunday, a similar DREAM Sabbath event will take place at the Divine Redeemer, a Catholic parish in Boonville. Next month, Ciudad Refugio, a small church in Winston-Salem, plans to host one, too.