Tom Weis
Comp 0101-06
29 November
Dream Act
I was born here-- born on American soil, in an American hospital, to American parents who can say the same for generations back. My skin is pale, my eyes are blue, and my hair is blonde. I speak English with no accent, but I could work on my Spanish. Both my parents have had run-ins with the police, spent the night in jail, and at least one of them has a felony that I know of. Only one has a GED, and neither of them has served in the military or pursued higher education. They were born here, so they get to stay here. The same goes for my siblings and I. We truly live in the land of the free—free to drop out of school, to be tried by a jury of our peers, and we are free to choose not to serve in the military or to go to college. We were born here and we get to stay here indefinitely.
I oftentimes ask myself why I am so special and entitled to such freedom. Even if I were a criminal, I would not lose all my rights. There are people living in this country, though, that cannot say the same. Undocumented immigrants can be discovered just by being pulled over by coming to a rolling stop at a stop sign, something everybody does. Instead of getting a warning, they get put in jail for immigration. A person who was brought here as a child with his or her parents, graduated high school and went on to college also has that same risk. Some model citizens are at risk for deportation for a crime they did not commit. The DREAM Act protects those by granting permanent residency to people who did not choose to come here, have no criminal record, and who try to make America better by going to college or serving in the military.
A lot of adolescents get into trouble in high school. For many, the consequence is diversion. Then when the person turns 18, the crime will go off of his or her record. The logic behind that is a minor cannot be held accountable for his or her actions once the age of majority is reached. I completely agree with that logic, especially since at a young age the frontal lobe has not yet developed so the person certainly has time to reflect on his or her actions. Can this logic be applied to immigration? I believe so. How could a country hold a person responsible for illegally entering as a child? Furthermore, it is not necessarily the child that enters illegally—it is his or her parents that do so. It is wrong to punish a person for a crime his or her parents committed. Furthermore, in America we expect a child to follow his or her parents. The DREAM Act protects those who came here not by their own choice, but with their parents when they were children.
It is argued that many immigrants are here trafficking drugs or participating in gangs. It is widely agreed that gang activity is very detrimental to society. Furthermore, in the past, drugs have broken families apart and have cost the government a lot of money by putting people in jails and prevention programs. Will the DREAM Act let those who provide drugs and encourage gang activity to become citizens? Of course not. According to the DREAM Act proposal, an undocumented immigrant must also exhibit good moral character before being considered for permanent residency. So for those who say “Asians are terrible drivers,” you may want to think again. Three traffic misdemeanors would automatically disqualify one from permanent residency. “Good moral character” has a broad definition on purpose, since there are several things that are considered “good.” It could mean something as simple as having no criminal history to actively volunteering in the community. The point is the immigrants that would be granted permanent residency would not contribute to the criminal market.
One other criticism of immigration is that immigrants take “our” jobs. The DREAM Act, though, has that covered as well. In order to be granted permanent residency, the person has either to have completed two of four years of college or served for a minimum of two years in the military (supporters are working on incorporating the DREAM Act into the National Defense Authorization Act.) Everyone in America has the chance to go to college, especially with the growing popularity of community college. College education makes more jobs available for a person, so a person who does not seize that opportunity, in turn, “chooses” to have a smaller pool of jobs to choose from. The military is also an option for those in good health, and the military is always recruiting. The DREAM Act ensures that immigrants will only get the jobs they earned by going to college or by serving in the military. Furthermore, jobs that require a degree often help many people. For example, teachers, doctors, social workers, or judges help society in many ways. The military, too, is a huge commitment which benefits all of us.
Certainly the DREAM Act is no “easy way out” for immigrants who don’t have the resources to hire lawyers to become citizens. There is nothing easy about coming to a foreign country as a minor, learning a new language, staying away from the peer pressure that can lead to criminal activity, getting a college degree or serving in the military. The minimum amount of time the DREAM Act requires a person to be in America is five years. Five years of hard work and devotion is what it takes some to become permanent residents. It took less than five weeks for me to get my Social Security card. I was born here.
Word Count: 969
