Gateway Of The United States

The reality that immigration policies and registration requirements create for undocumented students is a grim one; despite their scholarly capability, thousands upon thousands of undocumented students who have completed high school do not continue on with their education because of the lack of legal paperwork (DREAM Act). This has been the story line for countless undocumented valedictorians, like Grecia Cantu, who’s dream of going to Baylor University to become a teacher was plucked by a simple mandate of Congress (Smith). Despite having a presidential scholarship to Baylor University, Grecia’s future is hampered by her illegal status in the country and the inactivity of the DREAM Act in congress, which is due largely to its brisk opponents. Critics of the legislation falsely advocate that it grants preferential treatment to undocumented students (Malkin 1). In reality, the DREAM Act only grants qualifying individuals with a temporary residency, a driver’s license, and a work permit (Giving the Fact). This allows the students who meet the criteria the same tuition rates as natural-born citizens and a legal way to work and drive in the country. Another resounding critic among the opponents of the bill includes the common misconception that the DREAM Act will provide amnesty and forgive the federal offense immigrants committed when they entered the country illegally (Smith). In truth, only immigrants who entered the country during their youth, before age 16, are eligible for the benefits of the legislation. Once they apply, they will have to fulfill the requirements of completing a 2-year college or serve a 2-year term in the armed forces to finally receive resident status, not citizenship, after 6 years of proved residency (Creating Opportunities). If Congress allowed this legislation to

In the United States, many families are currently being affected by the Dream Act’s failure to pass. The Dream Act would have given many undocumented children the ability to have a pathway to citizenship. The Dream Act believed in the importance of social support within the family by supporting family unification. However, due to its failure to pass, millions of undocumented children are now at risk of being deported and having their families divided. Although the U.S. government created a new policy known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), it is not providing immigrants with the same opportunity. DACA instead give undocumented people the opportunity to not be deported for a maximum of three years, but will never become a pathway to permanent citizenship. The Dream Act and DACA ultimately affects the physiological, emotional, and mental health of the immigrants who reside within the U.S.

Imagine that you are a senior in high school. You are nervous and excited to start the process of getting a job and attending college. You obtain a couple of job applications and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to fill out. Naturally, as you fill out these forms you ask your parents for your social security number, however, this is the moment you find out that you are undocumented. Shocked and in disbelief, you can’t help to see all your hopes and dreams go down the drain. Nevertheless, like many other undocumented students, you discover there is still hope for your situation. For instance, your research leads you to former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects minors who were brought to this country illegally as children. Created through executive action in June of 2012, DACA gives young undocumented immigrants: protection from deportation and a work permit. Subsequently, on September 5th, 2017, the Trump administration rescinds the DACA policy, and approximately 800,000 young immigrants will become eligible for deportation at the end of six months. Therefore, the only way to update our immigration system is for Congress to pass immigration reform, which offers a pathway to citizenship, plus, acknowledge that the 14th Amendment applies to homosexual conduct and illegal aliens.

The undocumented students that will benefit from the Dream Act are students that are practically U.S citizens but not by birth. Some opponents to the Dream Act don’t realize how much these students have suffered throughout their life. The article, “Standing up for Immigrant Students,” mentions all of these hardships and struggles; children are exposed to many dangers when crossing the border, and once they settle in the U.S they face other hardships and struggles like learning a new language, meeting the expectations of their instructors, and being discriminated against (4-5). Despite the obstacles they encounter in their path, many manage the way to do well in school and many overpass American students and become leaders in their community. Being undocumented becomes a major issue for undocumented high school graduates who want to continue their education because it’s nearly impossible to attend a University and get federal help because a valid social security number is required. These young adults are some of the best and brightest students in this country;

Out of those million immigrants there are about one out of five children under the age of eighteen are either an immigrant or a child of immigrants parents. (Orozco, 2001). The majority of immigrants are from Latino or Asian origin. The United States has been experiencing a large wave of people coming into this country to start a new life from what they had before. Every region in the country is experiencing the growth of immigration every year. With this new immigration the U.S is witnessing immigrant children take over public schools. Today immigrant students are becoming the fastest population to grow in the child population in the United States (Hamilton, 2010). Many parents send their children to the United States and separate themselves from them because they want them to have a better life and live the American dream. Many kids go to school at a young age and get through high school and college and even start their careers. But many of them have to live in fear of being found out. They can’t trust many people, even the closest one to them (Vargas,

Many proponents of the DREAM Act argue that “these kids were brought to the United States before they had a say in their life circumstances. Denying them hope and opportunity is punishment for an act beyond their control” (Fitz). Supporters of the DREAM Act continually advertise this argument; They claim that the children are innocent, and the United States is treating these children unjustly, but not rewarding them with “legal residence and expensive college tuition subsidies is simply withholding benefits to which they never had any entitlement in the first place” (Mehlman). These children are innocent, and deserve to be given an opportunity to come to the United States and have a good education, but it should not be through the DREAM Act or illegal immigration. It is not un-American to prioritize United States citizens, and other immigrants waiting to enter the country legally. A gross misconception is that DACA is only opposed by a radical few who want to hurt innocent children and families, but “a recent Quinnipiac University poll shows that Americans across the political spectrum favor tougher enforcement of existing immigration laws over rolling out the amnesty welcome wagon.” (Malkin). Despite this poll, many patrons of the DREAM Act think that continued amnesty is a right the United States is taking away, when in truth, the general public supports tougher immigration law. The DREAM literally goes against popular opinion, as it sponsors amnesty, and not harsher immigration

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

About half a million children are born to undocumented immigrants every year. These children are not given the opportunities that they so rightly deserve. They spend their entire lives in the United States and are considered illegal immigrants. They are given no choice, but to live their life as an undocumented immigrant. That is what the DREAM Act is trying to solve. The DREAM Act, or Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors is a proposal that would provide permanent residency to undocumented immigrants who meet certain eligibility requirements (The DREAM Act). If the DREAM Act is approved, then the education will be improved. It will improve the economy, the military will receive a significant increase in recruitments, and

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act of 2011, proposes to allow children of undocumented immigrants that were brought to the United States before their fifteenth birthday who have lived in America for at least five years straight to apply for permanent residency once they graduate from high school or achieve a GED. Conditionally, these children must be admitted into a college and complete a two-year degree or serve two years in the military. They must also be free of criminal convictions and have an honorable character. In addition, the DREAM Act would reverse current law to allow states to provide taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. An estimated 1.1-2.1 million illegal

According to the American Immigration Council “There are approximately 1.5 million undocumented children in the United States, and each year tens of thousands graduate from primary or secondary school, often at the top of their classes.” For most of these students, legal status squanders their chances at pursuing higher education and following their dreams: leaving them with uncertain futures. This is a very compelling problem because the U.S. is the only home a lot of these students have known. A lot of these students become fluent in English and serve as interpreters for their parents-which helps their parents become accustomed to the American culture and successfully integrate into society. These students have the potential to excel in medicine, law, education, business, entrepreneurship, etc.

Approving DACA would allow about 700,000 children and young adults to earn permanent residency (Fitz). DACA is known as a program that would provide certain key benefits of legal immigration status and a path for young immigrants to eventually attain citizenship ("DREAM Act”). According to Mahwish Khan, those who support DACA believe that the Dream Act would dramatically increase the pool of highly qualified recruits for the U.S. Armed Forces and think that deporting Dreamers is inhumane and cruel. Furthermore, advocates of DACA strongly feel that the Dream Act would be good for the U.S. economy. On the other hand, according to the article “Are DACA and the DREAM Act 2”, those who oppose DACA are convinced that amnesty should not be given

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a controversial initiative in the United States that grants minor immigrants residency in the country and ensures that their educational needs are met. While the act has claimed to be beneficial to a certain portion of the population, it is widely argued that the program’s cost-effectiveness and societal effects have been unproven since its inception, and therefore; an alternative program is needed to fulfill the gap.

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, also known as the DREAM Act, is an American legislative proposal for undocumented immigrants who came into the United States as children to obtain a legal status if they attend college or serve in the military. However, the DREAM Act does not help all immigrants wanting an education even if they come into the U.S as young children; they must meet certain criteria. To fall under the DREAM Act, a person must have entered the U.S. before the age of sixteen, must have been here for five years or more before the enactment of the Bill, must not have committed a crime, must graduate from high school, and must complete at least two years of college or military service.

“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” per President Trump about Mexico. A massive understatement, as one study indicates that an increase in immigrant concentration in American cities may even lead to a decrease in crime (MacDonald). Yet, a problem remains. Illegal immigrants have broken the law to be in the United States (US), even if they have committed no other crimes while in the US. That said, programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that reprieves the children of illegal immigrants from deportation and allows them to receive work permits, encourages immigrants to illegally seek refuge in the US. More problematic, the program is fleeting and, in the long run, does not provide undocumented immigrants with the protection they truly need.

There are 800,000 undocumented immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) passed by President Obama. Those persons known as Dreamers were brought illegally to the United States at a young age by their parents. Now they have pursued careers, started families, they have contributed to the United States of America, our country, their country. But on Tuesday, September 5th, 2017, the former president Donald Trump ended this program, leaving thousands of families with the uncertainty that if they will be back together again or not. Dreamers have brought pride to this country, they have been admitted into the best universities, they have received the best scholarships such as Bill Gates scholarship. DACA’s deadline is October 5th; this is the last opportunity for the Dreamers to continue with their right to pursue their education. Dreamers have to stay in the United States and be legal citizens because they have spent their whole life here, they help the U.S. economy, they bring cultural diversity to the country, the Dreamers as their name states want to achieve the American dream by pursuing a better education.