The Importance Of The DREAM Act And Deferred Action Programs

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

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

DREAM Act qualifiers are chosen by very specific and narrow guidelines. A few of the conditions include entering the United States before the age 16 and have been here in the U.S. for at least 5 years in a row before the bill has been enacted. The person would have to have either received an American high school diploma or GED, or have been accepted into some kind of college and/or university. The applicant would have to be no younger than twelve and no older than thirty five at the time of their application. Also, they would have to have proof of “good moral character”. There is no solid definition for the term “good moral character”, except

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

Every year thousands of undocumented students graduate from high school with uncertainty about a post-secondary education. Many of these students do not have the financial means, and are often too scared about their legal status to continue their education. This issue is extremely prevalent in the state of California, hosting 2.6 million “alien residents”, it has the largest population of undocumented immigrants (Gonzales, 2006). Immigration policies have been controversial topics in the United States for a long time. Although there is still an ongoing debate about reforming the current immigration laws, there has been progress in making post-secondary education a possibility for undocumented students. This paper will focus

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), is a proposed bipartisan legislation that is meant to provide amnesty and relief

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 public engagement of the white House posted on their web 10 reasons why they needed the Dream Act. Summarizing argument's that two secretaries including other people have made for the act. The dream act will help our economy marketing easier for immigration enforcements efforts on undocumented immigrants "Who pose a threat to our country" (Zehr, 2010,). The development relief and education for aliens minors act or dream act provide a path for legalization for undocumented high school graduates who meet the requirements of completing two years of college, military service, have entered United States before the age of 16, must be between the age of 12 and 35 to complete the application, good moral character, and no criminal record. If the congress passed the dream act it would add $329 billion to U.S. economy impacting it by $181 billion creating 1.4 million new jobs and more than $10 billion increase revenue by 2030. Many Dream Act opponents call it an immigration amnesty. They say the proposal would immediately reward immigrant children with conditional lawful permanent resident status – and, in just a few years, they would become U.S. Citizens. Their criticisms do not reflect how immigration agencies operate immigration reform will be addressed by the Obama administration this year. Republican senators they were ready to announce the outline of a broad immigration reform bill that would include a path to “earned legalization”

Development, Relief & Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. It still has yet to be passed and

The Dream Act, the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act is a bipartisan legislation pioneered by Sen. Orin Hatch [R-UT] and Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL].The undocumented students will granted a conditional legal status. Within the 6 years the student must be able to obtain a degree from a four year university. After the 6 years passes the conditional status becomes a legal American citizen. The following is the detailed qualification process obtained from the official web site of the dream act:

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

Although the Dream Act seems to be an easy first step for young Latino immigrants in achieving the "American Dream", but the policy itself contains many internal flaws that cannot be disregarded. The Dream Act is not enacted for several reasons. One, by granting financial aid to undocumented students would violated the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, which mandates that, "unauthorized aliens shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a state (or a political subdivision) for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such benefit...without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident" (Ruge et al., 2004, p. 262). Second, "good moral characters" is a vague phrase that cannot be measured as to how each person identifies "good moral characters"(Munoz, 2009, p. 8). Lastly, opponents of the dream act argued that the enactment of this policy would interfere with the benefits and interests

The Dream Act is a highly sensitive and controversial subject that was first brought up in 2001, and has resurfaced many times over the years. It is a legislative proposal that gives individuals who came to the United States illegally as minors the chance to become a legal citizen through going to college or enlisting in the military for a minimum of two years. After DACA was suspended by President Trump, the Dream Act resurfaced (A Dream Deferred 26). There are many different opinions of the Dream Act in the United States. On one side, many people believe that it contributes to illegal immigrants stealing jobs and resources from who they believe to be real Americans.

On the other hand, I also believe that the DREAM Act movement also has its own reasons for an immigrant to be out as undocumented in the US, aside from visibility purposes and opening up a community to form a collective identity for the movement. According to Liana Gamber-Thompson & Arely M. Zimmerman “‘being in the shadows’ is worse than being a public activist because, if he were ever deported his entire network of activists and allies would know (202). Also, according to Zimmerman, he has noted that “coming out narratives have been employed well beyond LGBTQ movements, which members of the fat acceptance and disability rights movement also embracing the concept” (197). Zimmerman’s observation signifies that the intersectionality that exists

Eligible individuals must be age 35 or younger, hold a high school diploma or GED, and pass a criminal background check … Permanent residency may be offered to those who choose to complete two years of military service or two years of higher education. Early versions of the bill failed in 2001 and 2007…. As of 2016, the DREAM Act has not been passed.”