Jack Friedman
Staff Writer
If Americans want to reform an already broken immigration system, they must not give up on the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. This comprehensive immigration policy would give nearly 625,000 undocumented immigrants United States citizenship, and, although the act failed in the Senate on Dec. 18, a more serious debate on the matter is necessary.
The DREAM Act concerns illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children and are unfairly being held responsible for the actions of their parents. They have lived in the United States anywhere from five to thirty years, have full-time jobs, have a United States high school or two-year university diploma, and have enlisted in the United States army and put their lives at risk for our freedom.
These young children who are brought to the United States through no volition of their own are really our children. Maybe the documents do not show it, but they have been and are the sons and daughters of America. They identify with being American and being educated by Americans. Several of them did not even know that they were undocumented until recent years.
Furthermore, statistics show that if given an opportunity and a path to legalization, these people will contribute exponentially to our economy. A recent poll conducted by NPR showed that the loss of illegal immigrants would actually stall the U.S. economy since undocumented workers perform many jobs that few native-born Americans will even consider.
The possibility of even considering sending these productive, hard-working people back to their country of origin, where they will probably be strangers, not know the indigenous language, and not have any opportunity to make a comfortable living is contrary to the basic principles of the United States: a melting pot with thousands of races from across the world. In order for these basic principles to be restored, a lot will have to take place.
The first step is stopping the aim game. Unfortunately, history has taught us that when any economy is on a downfall, powerful politicians often blame minorities for their nations’ struggles. This holds true in the United States today, as a handful of Republican leaders in the Senate oppose the DREAM Act due to these racist beliefs.
For example, Louisiana Senator David Vitter ran a TV ad campaign against illegal immigration with men and women from neighboring countries climbing through a hole in a chain-link fence, being welcomed by a marching band holding a giant check for them. Vitter ignores the fact that immigrants have had to work hard to even be considered American citizens. They are not at all being given a free check to cover college tuition. It is solely because these immigrants are of colored skin, from Latin America and Asia, that Republicans such as David Vitter are trying to block the dreams and aspirations of these undocumented young people.
As a result, people must be correctly informed about the truth: that the majority of Americans already support the DREAM Act. It passed in the House of Representatives and fell victim to a GOP filibuster in the Senate because of an overwhelming, racist Republican body. No longer should Americans be tricked into believing the polarizing, false rhetoric of these government officials. Americans must have the motivation to stand up for these undocumented immigrants.
It must be known that this movement to support undocumented people will continue until their American dream is achieved.
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