May 13, 1939. German transatlantic liner, the Saint Louis set sail from Hamburg, Germany bound for Havana, Cuba. There were nine hundred and thirty eight passengers on board, almost all of them Jews fleeing the Third Reich. The bulk of the Jewish passengers had applied for United States visas and had planned to only be in Cuba until they could enter the United States. When they arrived in Cuba, however, all but twenty eight passengers were denied entry.
As the political turmoil and uncertainty of the passengers' destination unfolded, the children among the passengers on the Saint Louis played a game later related to the world by ship captain Gustav Schroeder Children created a barricade of chairs along one of the ship's corridors. Two children served as "guards" as the other children formed a line in front of the barricade. As each child approached the barricade, one of the guards would ask, "Are you a Jew?" If they said no, they were admitted past the barrier. If they said yes, the guard would shout, "Jews not admitted." The child would then plead, "Oh please let me in. I'm only a very little Jew."
The Saint Louis then sailed close enough to Florida to "see the lights of Miami," but the State Department and White House refused to take steps to admit the passengers. With only enough food and water to last two weeks, the captain ordered the ship's return to Europe. Of the 908 passengers that returned to Europe, 532 would be trapped when Germany invaded Western Europe. 254 men, women and children, 27% of the Saint Louis passengers, would die in the Holocaust.
There is a lesson in that children's game that is relevant to the politics of today. Yes, the children the United States deports to Latin America and elsewhere are not doomed to perish in a concentration or death camp, and thank G-d for that, but the closed doors that many young illegal immigrants face today is no more fair than the doors shut on the doomed children of the Saint Louis. Children smuggled into this country are punished for the sins of their parents or caregivers and are all too often sent back to a foreign country of which they have no memory, have no ties, and do not even speak the language.
There is a proposed fix to this issue called the DREAM Act, which stands for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. It was first introduced in the Senate in the summer of 2001 and the most recent iteration passed the House on December 8, 2010. The Senate is currently struggling to defeat a Republicans' filibuster of the bill, including support of the filibuster from Senators that co-sponsored or supported previous versions of the bill. There is a lot of misconceptions out there about the bill that I would like to clear up.
The version of the DREAM act presently before the Senate would allow those under the age of 29 who came to the United States at or under the age of 15 to earn legal immigrant status after two years if they meet the Act's requirement of college or military service, pay back taxes if any, demonstrate the ability to read, write and speak English, and pass a civics test. Applicants for this legal status must have graduated from a US high school or obtained a GED, have a determination from the Department of Homeland Security that they have been a person of moral character since entering the United States, undergo a medical exam and security and law-enforcement background checks, submit biometric information, and register with Selective Service. The bill excludes eligibility from anyone who committed a felony or three misdemeanors, is likely to become a public charge, has engaged in voter fraud, has committed marriage fraud, has abused a student visa, has engaged in persecution, or poses a health risk. The burden of proof is on DREAM Act applicants, and to receive a stay of deportation, they must be able to show they are likely to qualify. Merely applying does not stop the deportation process.
It is infuriating that an infant could be smuggled into the United States, grow up here never knowing any land but this one, get through high school, seek to join the US military, and not be allowed to join, and have no path to citizenship. The DREAM Act does not create an immigration free-for-all. Those given legal status under the DREAM Act would not be able to sponsor parents or siblings for at least twelve years, and parents and siblings who illegally entered the United States would have to leave for ten years before they would be eligible to gain legal status. The bill does not repeal the ban on in-state tution for illegal immigrants, it does not allow illegal immigrants to get financial aid, and it does not open the door to just anybody.
In summary, there are children and young adults that came to America as children seeking a path to a legal status. They are in this country, asking to be admitted. They may be illegal immigrants, but they are only very little illegal immigrants. The tough restrictions of the DREAM Act are not going to undermine the foundations of anything. There will not be a horde of new illegal immigrants flooding across any of our borders. It is a common sense measure that gives children the opportunity to earn legal status.
Senator Harry Reid is filing for cloture of the DREAM Act tonight, and Senators will likely vote on the measure on Saturday. I implore you to contact your Senators and register your support for the bill. Your Senator does not have to vote for the bill itself, but at least allow the DREAM Act to come to the floor for an up and down vote.