Dream Act

Giselle Wilson

English 110/ Section 21515

Professor Barbara Summers
December 5, 2011

Many people come to America hoping for prosperity and success, and to live the American Dream. Immigrants bring their children to America because they believe their kids will have more opportunities then back at home. An Act was introduced in 2001 then reintroduced in May 2011 to potentially help immigrant children, The DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is for alien minors who are brought to America under the age of 16 years old by undocumented parents. In the article Basic Information about the Dream Act Legislation I read the requirements you need in order to qualify for the DREAM Act. An individual must have entered America before the age of 16, also must have lived in America for 5 consecutive years. An alien minor has to graduate from a United States high school, receive their GED, or be accepted to an higher educational level such as a college, institution etc…
You must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of the application process. Last but not least you need to have a good moral character, proving that they haven’t committed any crimes that would make them a threat to the country. With those requirements they can only obtain a conditional status for a limited period of time. After a six year conditional status, these individuals will need to move on to the next process which is completing college or U.S military for at least two years, pass a criminal background check and once again show good moral character. If you do not pass these requirements you can lose your legal status and be subject to deportation. The DREAM Act can allow many immigrants who qualify for it to obtain citizenship in America, which will help the economy due to the levels of taxable income. The DREAM Act gives illegal immigrants a chance to enlist armed forces for a minimum of 2 years which will give them an income and also will increase the number of the United States military enlistment. Those who qualify will be allowed to apply for student loans and grants that will give them option to improve their education. A large percentage of the drop out rate in America is immigrants. If the act passes the drop out rate will decrease, which is shown in The Pros and Cons of the The DREAM Act. The DREAM Act gives immigrants who were brought here against their own will a chance to improve themselves and succeed in life. They’ll have chances to become business owners, to obtain wealth and to be proud of who they are and there profession and gives an opportunity to their children to have what they couldn’t have. If the Act passes they could possibly have a real shot of the America Dream. Though they are positive prospective of the DREAM Act there are also negative ones too. If an illegal immigrant applies for the DREAM Act, they have amnesty until their application has been resolved. Many people seem to believe The DREAM Act is very unpopular with certain sections of the United States populations as they feel it rewards immigration. Just because an illegal immigrant is granted conditional residency status, they are not obligated to learn the language or assimilate into the American culture. Many United States students feel that it is unfair to give immigrant people the opportunity to go to college by removing some of the standards American born students have to meet in order to qualify to apply for college. Those who stand against the DREAM Act think it would cause a chain migration and illegal immigration as millions come to the United States of America hoping to gain legal status for their children. The article I received my information from is “What are the Pros and Cons of the DREAM Act”. Someone who I believe would stand for The DREAM Act is Martin Luther King Jr, he was one of the most prestigious civil rights leader of the 1950s. On April 16, 1963 King wrote a letter to the Birmingham jail which is named “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in this letter he spoke about why he fights for equality. He states “Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bound”. That quote shows Martin Luther Kings perspective somewhat with immigrants because he believes everyone should have equal treatment and shouldn’t be treated as “outsiders”. Johnson C. Montgomery who was an attorney in California and an early member of Zero Population Growth Organization I would believe would be an opponent for The DREAM Act. Montgomery wrote a passage “The Island of Plenty” which allows you to view his personal ideas and facts about how America shouldn’t be responsible for humanity. He strongly thinks that “The United States shall remain an island of plenty and a sea of hunger”. Montgomery explains in his passage that if we become responsible for all humanity then we will kill more then we save. Food supply would run out which will cause even more starvation. Montgomery affirms that the problem isn’t too little food but it is too much people. There should be a limit to the amount of people a family can reproduce. He states “we owe it to our children’s children’s children’s children. By Montgomery not wanting America to be responsible for humanity, and wanting a limit on how many kids people can have shows how he wouldn’t agree with The DREAM Act because it would only increase the population in America to be even greater then what it already is. My brother in law Lemuel Jones Ayudtud was brought to America at a tender age of 9 years old from the Philippines by his parents. His mother and father John and Venus Ayudtud always dreamed of coming to America and realized that dream 1983. They have 6 children who are now all professionals in different fields. Lemuel is a registered nurse also pastors a church in Staten Island, New York. He is successful in both aspects of his profession. Lemuel shows valid evidence that an immigrant can come to America and live the American Dream. If the act were to pass there’s a possibility that immigrants like my brother in law can also provide our society with influences and enhancements that will affect the lives of other people for the better. Being a nation of immigrants, a policy that promotes the advancement of naturalization will encourage these positively effective immigrants to pursue citizenship. With this possibility there will be an increase pull of individuals who will be able to bring in new ideas to our government, strength to our work places and betterment to our communities. These sociologically empowering individuals would bring a boon to the financial and civilian industries. The pros and cons for The DREAM Act I feel are valid. Personally I am undecided on this matter due to the increase of the population in America if the act is passed. If they are to many people in America that means less job opportunities because more people are applying for it.