Minn. students in hunger strike in support of DREAM act

Five Minnesota students and two adults are on the fourth day of a national hunger strike to pressure the U.S. Senate to pass the DREAM Act.

The bill would give children of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship if they graduate from high school and complete two years of college or military service. Critics say it's a form of amnesty for law-breakers.

One of the hunger strikers Alejandra Cruz, a 25-year-old freshman at Augsburg College, said it's taking her much longer to complete college because she can't qualify for federal student loans:

"We are not asking for anything free," Cruz said. "We are college students. We would like to contribute to the society and the economy of this country. We were brought by our parents here and didn't decide to come here."

The U.S. House passed the DREAM Act last week. The vote has been postponed in the Senate.