Dream for a better America

Immigration has been a hot topic in the United States for decades, and with roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants, the topic continues to catch fire. It has created a great divide in our governments, with Democrats allowing greater amnesty towards immigrants and republicans believing that amnesty results in more illegal immigration. Amongst these immigrants are minors who have attended or are still attending schools in America and have planted their roots on American soil. These minors come from parents who have either crosses the borders illegally or have outstayed their visas. With the possibility of getting deported at any instant, they have built their lives on precarious hopes and dreams. However, they have been able to extract some sympathy from both democrats and republicans and have been the primary focus on immigration reform. In 2001, the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) was introduced to the Senate floor by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch. It would give permanent residency to minors who came to the United States as minors, graduated from a U.S high school and have lived in the U.S for 5 consecutive years or more. It would also give a 6 year residency guarantee to immigrants who have attended 2 years of a higher learning institution or military and would give them the chance to work for permanent residency if they receive a degree from a high institution. You must have proof of all the above and be of “good moral character”. The bill has been reintroduced in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and in 2012, President Obama agreed to halt the deportation of minors. Although this bill was never passed as a law, similar forms of it have been adopted by states such as Texas, New Mexico and New York. One of the biggest issues for illegal minors is education, specifically college. Because they are not citizens or green card holders, minors under the Dream Act are eligible for federal loans, making college very difficult to afford. Luckily, states like Maryland and New York have either adopted or introduced the Dream Act with an intention of financially aiding illegal college students. However, there are still college students who have more remnants of the American culture than their original culture that are being deported in the middle of their academic year. Other students are denied school all together in one way or another. For example, Alabama has passed a law requiring officials to check the immigration statues of all students, and as a result, noticed a 5% decrease in Hispanic students in class. If these students were to be reported, they and their families would be deported. Immigrants, whether be legal or illegal, are unarguably the backbone of this country. They contribute to the economy by either taking jobs that no “American” will take, and are leaders in fields that help boost our economy. They start new businesses at a higher rate than “Americans” and are less institutionalized than ‘Americans”. In fact, it is estimated immigration reform will cut our deficit by $175 Billion in the next two decades and increase the GDP by 1.4 trillion by 2033. Why deport progression and keep regression? Immigration helps our country prosper and these immigrants who risked their lives to stay here or come here, are not playing around. They know the struggle and us their knowledge of it to better themselves and in return better the country. This country was built by immigrants, and is the only place on earth that has been able to sustain such a progressive global population.