California Dream Act Essay

A huge crisis looms right in front of this country, yet the United States’ politicians do not even take notice. Millions of illegal aliens receive free education every day and it costs the country billions of dollars. California spends most of this money, but Texas does not sit far behind. Not only will this bankrupt and destroy one of the best education systems in the world, but it will also encourage more and more illegals to bring their children to America. Why would anyone expect the situation to be any different? If a car dealership decided to give away cars for one week to anyone that came to the front door there would be no shortage of people lining up outside the gate. Allowing illegal immigrants to continuously take advantage of

Being an undocumented student in the U.S is literally being cursed for being born outside the country because one will find virtually all doors to the American Dream closed. Apparently working hard, graduating from high school, living here mostly a whole life, and the desire to become someone successful and contribute to this country is not enough in the eyes of the opponents to the Dream Act to qualify for neutralization. All aspirations and hopes for a better future vanish when one finds out that it’s impossible to attend a university or find a job because proof of citizenship is required. All AB 540 students experience this situation and the Dream Act is the solution to stop these sufferings. The Dream Act is a bill that was first

Approximately 200,000 to 225,000 undocumented immigrants enroll in American institutions of higher education and represent 2 percent of all students in college (Suarez-Orozco, Katsiaficas, Birchall, Alcantar, & Hernandez, 2015). Undocumented students have low rates of enrollment to programs of higher education in comparison to documented students. When undocumented students begin college, they go through struggles to adapt and assimilate to college life. As a result of feeling disconnected to the campus they attend, undocumented students may look for different options for support, such as clubs and centers offered for students. In recent years, there have been legal changes set in place to support the success of undocumented students enrolled in higher education, which include in state tuition, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities. These changes have given undocumented students more choices and access to

In “Undocumented students’ Access to College: The American Dream Denied,” Chavez, Soriano and Olivia (2007) have stated that millions of students who live in United States are undocumented immigrants; most of them come to U.S at a very young age. They completed their high school and achieved great academic success, some of them even got admitted by well know universities. From 2002 onwards , Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) , authorized by the late Marco Antonio Firebaugh , allows any student who has completed three years high school, and received a high school diploma or equivalent in California, regardless of their immigration status, are legally allowed to attend colleges and universities (Chavez,Soriano and Oliverez 256).Even though they are eligible to apply and be admitted to universities, but they are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid, without the help of financial aid, it is extremely difficult for them to afford tuition. In this case, it severely limits undocumented student’s chances for upward mobility.

Undocumented students have a harder time trying to pursue a higher education; this is due to the fact that they cannot receive federal aid. College is like a safe haven for these undocumented students. Higher education gives undocumented students the opportunity to better themselves as individuals. Higher education also allows undocumented students to pursue a better life for themselves and for their family. Every year over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in the United States (Gray). Experts estimate that fewer than 6,500 of those undocumented students actually go on to attend college (Sheehy). One reason for why the amount is so low is because college is expensive for these undocumented students. Undocumented students are unable to achieve any of these goals, that is, unless they receive federal aid. It is sad to see undocumented students give up on their dream to attend college and get a higher education.

Being an undocumented college student can be very difficult, there are many economical and emotional barriers. College tuition doubles when you are undocumented and must be a resident of the state you’d like to attend school in. Some schools require you to be US born in other to attend the school. Fortunately, Deferred Action for Childhood

An educational reform in higher education would eliminate the many educational and occupational barriers undocumented students face today. By permitting access to undocumented students into postsecondary education and earn a degree would eliminate poverty and unemployment levels in the country. It is essential to give as many young people undocumented or not the opportunity to enroll and succeed in postsecondary education to strengthen the economy of the United States. The younger generations are the future of this country and undocumented students are not the exception. These young students also play an important part in society today and if given the opportunity to earn a professional degree will most definitely impact American society in the years to come.

Imagine a world with an educated youth. Now imagine a parallel world where children are fighting to keep a smile on their faces, because, in truth, it is the only thing they have. In reality, this is what is happening. Youth, who have the privilege to be American citizens, are granted a very fulfilling education with a promise of a career. Children of illegal and undocumented immigrants do not have such luck. Some undocumented children in America have very promising futures and even a degree under their belts, but they cannot apply for a job because they have no proof of citizenship. A controversial topic is the matter of the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education, for Alien Minors) which permits undocumented immigrants to obtain

In 2001, Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) passed in California allowing undocumented students, who met specific requirements, the opportunity to pay in-state level tuition at any, CSU, UC, of community college of California (Diaz, 2011). This new section of the California Education Code created an exemption for undocumented students who were required to pay non-resident fees. In order for undocumented students to benefit from the AB 540 Bill they must have met certain requirements which include, a) attended a California high school for 3 full years, b) will of have graduated from a California high school or received an equivalent of a diploma, c) must register or be

The DREAM Act plays a big role in the nation’s effort to have the highest proportion of graduates in the world by 2020 (Miranda). Allowing this to pass would reduce the drop out rate significantly all throughout the country. 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school every year. In Luis Miranda’s Get The Facts On The Dream Act, Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan has stated that passing the Dream Act will allow “these young people to live up to their fullest potential and contribute to the economic growth of our country.” It gives students the incentive to go through school and get a degree. When undocumented students are attending school, some colleges wont accept them. Knowing that, they do not have the drive or interest in pursuing a college degree. A lot of immigrants now will finish high school, get there diploma, then go find a job. Having this bill passed will change the education in the United States forever.

DACA is deferred action for childhood arrivals, it’s relief from deportations and work authorizations which is renewed every two years for those brought to America as children illegally. DACA recipients are often called, “dreamers”. Those who fail are eligible for deportation. Trump ended the DACA program leaving millions of undocumented people to lose their privilege in working and going to college to end up deported. Recently in the U.S., President Trump and his administration announced plans that could lead to end of the DACA Program. As part of the wind-down, no new DACA applications will be accepted. Those currently enrolled in DACA can continue working legally until their permits expire. Senior officials said they don’t plan to share

There are around 11.7 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States. Today many of the teenagers of those immigrants are obtaining a free access to college education. [How are the illegals obtaining (getting) access to the free college?] On average a college education would cost a legal citizen going to a four-year college, which doesn’t include books, transport, and personal expenses can range from $107,000 to around $370,000. For example, there is a teenager named Indira Esparza, an illegal immigrant, graduated from University City in San Diego, California. She was able to secure a spot attending an expensive and exclusive private school, that is for the elite, with a full scholarship, $10,000 and other material. Esparza does not have to pay for books, transportation, and

It is said that in 2013 almost 2 percent of all college students in Texas were once undocumented immigrants and received help from the Texas Dream Act. Out of those 2 percent over 70 percent attended community colleges as expected and the rest attended a total of two different

Angela M. Banks states, “while a number of states prohibit undocumented students from being eligible for in-state tuition rates, only Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina prohibit these students from enrolling in public colleges and universities” (1425). While American students can pay in-state tuition to attend college. Again, immigrant students are not given the same privilege. Furthermore, immigrant students have a hard enough time getting into college, now they might not even be able to pay for it due to the fact they are not being treated like any other in-state student trying to better themselves. In all, children who have been brought to America as a child by their parents should be able to have the same rights as an American citizen. It only seems fair since they had no say on whether they wanted to come to America or

Taking U.S citizens rights away or is it just an opportunity to illegal aliens? This is one of the many arguments people have been stating about the dream act. This program was passed to help illegal immigrants grow in education. It was not to acquire U.S citizen’s rights, in fact it was passed because many immigrants want to give back to the country that has offered them many things. This program also known as DACA was proposed by the president Barack Obama and has been applied to many illegal immigrants since 2010. It is an aid for immigrant students that want to go top college and stay in school. Being part of the Dream Act is not giving illegal aliens U.S citizen’s rights, it is allowing young immigrants to have the opportunity to get