A group of three students on a cross-country walking tour to generate support for the DREAM Act will call Indianapolis home until Monday in hopes of raising money and speaking with Indiana legislators.

The Federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would grant legal residency and the chance to become a U.S. citizen to young illegal immigrants but has failed to pass Congress.

“Anybody can just fly or drive over to Washington, D.C. But this is a commitment,” said Raymi Gutierrez. “By walking, we get to reach a lot of small communities along the way.”

The Campaign for an American DREAM is made up of three undocumented students: Gutierrez, 23, Jonatan Martinez, 25, and Veronica Gomez, 24.

The campaign began March 10 with eight students in San Francisco who pledged to walk to Washington, D.C., by Nov.2. Though they’ve lost five group members, Martinez said the remaining three will definitely make it to Washington.

Along the way, the group recruits members from each state to join. For the past seven days, six students and a professor from Prescott College in Arizona walked with the group to show support.

“Coming from Arizona, we see what (the Arizona anti-illegal immigration law) and other laws have done, so we feel even more invested and responsible in a sense to support undocumented youth,” said Anita Fernandez, a professor of social justice education at Prescott College.

Fernandez, who teaches a class on the DREAM Act and educational equality, said she thought joining the campaign would be a positive experience for her students.

Martinez said the group attempted to meet with lawmakers at the Statehouse on Thursday morning but was unable to make contact. They will try to set up meetings for Monday, although most legislators are not in the Statehouse when the General Assembly is not in session.

“We wanted to meet with them and talk to them about our experiences,” Martinez said. “We know we’re not gonna change people’s minds overnight, but we may be able to hit their heart.”

Martinez said Indiana is an important stop for the group because of immigration legislation here. A new state law requires some schools to verify an enrolling student’s citizenship and allows law enforcement to check a person’s citizenship status if there is reasonable suspicion that he or she is in the country illegally. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer has raised doubts about whether parts of the Indiana law can be enforced, however.

The campaign has already met with the Latino Youth Council and will meet with the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance over the weekend.

On Monday the group will leave for Ohio.