A Florida high school student and class valedictorian who just a couple of months ago faced deportation was honored this week by the school’s board.

Daniela Pelaez and her sister Dayana of Miami were facing deportation back to Colombia, a country they came from when Daniela was just four-years old.  The sisters won a two-year deportation reprieve.  In the meantime Daniela has been busy telling legislators of her plight and that of many other DREAM Act students and urging them to pass the DREAM Act.

Those pleas fell on the deaf ears of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. The Senator reiterated his opposition to the DREAM Act.  He said the DREAM Act is “the wrong way to do the right thing,” and then went on to suggest that the legislation would “reward or encourage illegal immigration by granting amnesty.”

The 18-year-old was honored by the Miami-Dade School Board for creating the ‘We are Here Foundation’ to help other undocumented students in the same situation.  Unlike Senator Rubio, School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho fully support Pelaez and said she would be deported ‘over my dead body.’