The elusive American Dream—thousands struggle to find this invisible finish line every day, but many run out of steam before making it far enough. For some, this dream is money, and for others it's fame. But for even more it is something with less glamour and a little more merit, something that pays in intellectual property and acceptance. For thousands of children of illegal immigrants, the American Dream is that of education and citizenship.
Unfortunately, the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for
Alien Minors) Act that would aid in making this simple wish more
obtainable was stalled in Congress just under a week ago.
The DREAM Act is intended to make it easier to achieve citizenship
for children who grew up in the U.S. and want to go to college or
serve in the military, but are impeded by their illegal immigrant
standing.
It allows that if an undocumented individual goes to college or
joins the military for two or more years, they can gain conditional
permanent residency status for six years. This means they can get a
license, go to school and basically act as a normal American for
six years. These years also count towards their permanent
naturalization requirements so long as they stay out of trouble
during that time.
This act is attached to a $726 billion military defense bill that
also contains a clause to repeal the ""Don't Ask, Don't Tell""
policy for gays in the military. Many of those who voted to stall
the bill did so because they do not think the DREAM Act belongs on
it.
Sen. Lindsey Graham R-S.C., says the act ""has got absolutely
nothing to do with our national security."" That's where I
disagree. If we are going to continue sending our young men and
women into danger to fight for their country, we will need all the
numbers we can get behind us. Not to mention, retired Lt. Col.
Margaret Stock believes ""the demographics for the future [of
military recruitment] are not looking very bright."" So if people
who have been living and working in this country, regardless of
status, want to risk their lives and thank the country that has
been good to them, who are we to tell them no just because of an
identity they didn't even choose?
The age group of illegal immigrants that this act advocates for had
no real choice in being made illegal. It is for those who were
brought here unlawfully at the hands of their parents. If you were
told that your family was packing up and moving to a country where
you would be considered illegal, when you were just six years old,
you probably wouldn't question it or try to resist your
parents.
After the move, you would try to fit in to your new community. Most
children do this by attending school. Illegal immigrants' children
do this because they want to belong and their parents only want the
best possible education for their children.
The way the parents immigrate or pay taxes to fund this schooling
is a completely different issue for me. But why should we punish
the children who didn't truly have a choice in their wrongdoings
for such things?
Also, we should always advocate for making education accessible to
everyone. Educating our youth, or even giving their life a
direction via the Armed Forces, can do nothing but improve quality
of life for everyone in the future. The more we are informed and
supported, the more we can learn to give back to the country that
made us who we are, and even possibly make improvements in the
countries where we came from.
Some Republicans claim this act was added in a last-ditch attempt
to gain waning Latino support before November, perhaps instead we
should question if Latino support is down because we have always
failed to help them and their families in the past.
These kids with inherited statuses did not choose their lives, but
they are choosing to make them better. Today's children are the
future so let's make sure they have one.
Jaime Brackeen is a sophomore majoring in
journalism. We welcome all feedback. Please send all responses
to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
