The Importance Of The DREAM Act

The DREAM Act means Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, which an undocumented immigrant in the United Stated that would be granted a conditional residency if the person meets the qualifications to be in the College Universities. Around 700,000 young illegal immigrants are enrolled in the high schools, according to an estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center, and around 70% of these populations are from Mexico. The DREAM act is supported by 91% of Latinos.
According with the White House website, this act has some requirements in order to qualify a young illegal immigrant to apply to The DREAM Act. Some of these requirements are:
• The young immigrants must enter the United Stated under the age of 16 years old;
• They must have to
provide proof that they lived here for at least 5 years;
• They must be graduated from U.S. high school or take GED test;
• They must have a very detailed criminal background check, and it must be cleared
• After they had these requirements completed for six years, then they can apply to the next phase, which are the same requirements (2 years in College or served the US Military). Otherwise, they will lose their legal status, and be deported.
In addition, The DREAM act has an application fee of $ 465 through the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, which must be paid by the applicant. This fee can’t guarantee this application will be approved. When the young illegal immigrant receives the granted for the DREAM act, it is possible to have a petition for entry of parents or siblings. Even though, the family can get in the United States legally, they can’t apply to green card for many years.
Based on the White House fact sheet of the DREAM act is the students from the DREAM act wouldn’t be eligible for federal grants like Pell Grants, only for federal student loans and federal work-study programs.
The students must pay these grants. Also, young students can learn to be responsible and accountable for their status. It was interesting what the senator Richard Durbin said, “This is the choice the DREAM Act presents to us. We can allow a generation of immigrant students with great potential and ambitions to contribute more fully to our society and national security, or we can relegate them to a future in the shadows, which would be a loss for all Americans.”
The DREAM Act has more supporting points than points to oppose to this act. Many the positive points were related to the US economy. On of them mentioned the DREAM Act will increase the taxable income between $1.4 million to $3.6 million since the students will have a better income and career. Then the economy will have new ways to be more sustainable and able to cover the US deficit by $1.4 billion. Also, the DREAM Act will help to expand the numbers on the military’s
recruitment.
Furthermore, the reality is more people are in favor of the DREAM Act than against. Then some of the myths were created to disturb the real points of it. Here are some of the myths on the DREAM Act: the taxpayers will be paying the student loans in the DREAM Act, this Act is amnesty, and it will bring more immigrants to US.
Some of the points not supporting the DREAM Act are that government resources will be depleted because all the money that should go to health care, education and social security ended up on the DREAM act. The government deficit will increase and cause a bankruptcy. Other point is the DREAM Act will lead to unfair votes since people will support the lawmakers, and the meaning of the democracy system will be ruined. Besides the old argument, immigrants are taking the Americans’ job, and the DREAM Act will cause a rise in the unemployment because companies will have to reduce their minimum wage to supply enough jobs from a high demand from the DREAM act people.
However, the DREAM act is a topic that I knew a little bit about, I got surprised this Act is not the same in all the states in the United States.
I understood that was a federal act, which all the states should comply the same. When I read in the ABC News website that some states are not accepting illegal students in the schools, I was very surprised. For example, the article was about schools in Alabama requiring proof of citizenship during their enrollment period to accept students in the public schools. Also, there the DREAM act is not working there since the state declared war on immigrants, and they don’t want to comply with the DREAM Act. Some immigrants commented that they would be moving to California since their children can go to a public school, and have a chance to go to College. Some school officials in Alabama are between the state law and the federal civil rights law, which each child must go to school independent on the legal status. This case is going to Court to resolve. Reading this article made me mad because it is not a fair situation and breaking the
laws.
First of all if it is a federal civil rights law, who is the state of Alabama to change it? That is very frustrating to learn that each state can go not respect laws, and do their own wishes and politics. It is very hard for me to understand how this can be done if it is a law. Even though I understand the states and federal rules can be applied differently.
Second of all, it is totally not fair that California or any other state that is complying with the laws gets everyone since other states don’t want to fulfill with the laws. These states will be using their own capacity to help and follow all these laws, and have all the money to cover everything. One of the interviews I saw in the ABC news about a Oscar Vasquez in Arizona, who came in the United Sates of age of 6 years old, finished his College as the best of the best in Mechanic Engineer, and ended up deported after his graduation ceremony without any criminal reason, but just because he entered this country illegally with his family. Who is going to get the benefits of his college graduation? For sure, it is not going to be the state that helped Oscar.
Finally, I keep questioning myself about the young illegal immigrants that get in the DREAM Act in California, and ended up getting a good job in a state that is not complying with the DREAM act. The state will get all the benefits of the law without paying for. That is another reason I don’t agree with this state and federal distinguish way to follow the rules in certain cases. Things concluded in the politics way, and not in the common interest of the population. That it is a weird way to execute the democracy, which is a massive value of the Americans citizens.
After all the research I did on the DREAM act, I’m still thinking it is a good way to fix some of the immigration problems in the United States, and education is the best way to start the fight. I don’t think I changed my thinking about the DREAM act, but certainly I’m more frustrated now with the way that the United States policies are getting layout in other states than before I started my research. As a immigrant myself, I would like to keep believing on the United States great democracy model, despite of many issues that are not leading to a great democratic situation especially when I came from a country who talks about democracy, but it does everything in the opposite direction.
As a future teacher, I would like to motivate the illegal students in my classroom to fight for their dreams in the United States. I would like to help them to find ways and laws that could guide them to College, and a better future. For example, how they can get some scholarships and loans through the DREAM Act. Maybe I could guide them how it is important to go to school and work on their future, and probably they can help their relatives with their financial or legal status. Also, if they can vote in some point of their lives in the United States, I would like to teach them how important is to vote. I totally believe in these young illegal immigrants potential, and I can say that they will work hard to be the best of best in their College since they understand the importance of their education, and this kind of chance doesn’t show up in their lives everyday. I would like to be a kind of teacher that can be there for them to talk about their problems and help them to find way to achieve their goals.