This article was written by a good friend of mine for the college paper, the Justice that I edit and is superb. I urge everyone to find out more about the DREAM act and get involved in the fight for it. This is a great non-partisan piece of legislation that almost everyone can rally around.
The United States is a nation of immigrants. Throughout U.S. history, immigrants have overcome great adversity and oppression to come here for freedom, equality and a better life, and they have in turn improved our country beyond measure. But this summer's Republican blockade of President Bush's comprehensive reform demonstrates the collective amnesia Americans feel toward the immigrant experience.
The immigration system isn't perfect and the borders of this country need more monitoring, but rejecting all forms of immigration reform leaves behind thousands of scattered lives.
The Development Relief Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is part of the reform program that would allow those who came to the U.S. illegally as children to complete their education. If a child came into the country before the age of 16 and earned an American high school diploma, he would gain conditional residency for six years, over which time he would have to complete two years of college or two years in the military in order to gain permanent residency.
The act could give Juan Gomez, a student from my high school who came to the U.S. from Colombia when he was two years old on a six-month visitor's visa, a well-deserved second chance. He overstayed his visa and continued to live and grow up in the U.S., and was eventually arrested by immigration officials and slated for immediate deportation.
But that couldn't overshadow Juan's remarkable academic achievements, which I heard about from mutual friends. I came to see Juan as a beacon of hope for the future of America. He graduated 14th in a class of almost 800 students, scored a 1410 on the SAT without study aides and received a five, the highest score, on 11 of his 15 Advance Placement exams.
He also knew to ask for help. From a holding cell in a South Florida detention center, he knew to call his friends for support in his bleak situation. They mobilized by forming a Facebook group, courting the local media and after a week, going to lobby in Washington. They pushed officials in the Department of Immigration to stay the deportation of Juan's family for 45 days. These remarkable teens made Juan one of the faces of the DREAM Act, and got this buried piece of legislation revived in the minds of congressmen and the media alike.
The loss of students like Juan and the other 65,000 illegal high school graduates from the Class of 2007 alone would drain America of precious minds. These students were raised in America and educated in American schools. They sang the national anthem and pledged allegiance to the American flag. Yet they can't receive in-state tuition for college. Many attend local community colleges and then, even with degrees in hand, must take minimum wage jobs because of their illegal status.
A law like the DREAM Act would keep American-raised children here, rather than sending them to a country that may barely live in their memories. Yet the bill has never come to a vote in Congress. Opponents see this bill as a form of amnesty, a way of rewarding people who subvert American laws. Yet, the people who would be affected by the DREAM Act aren't the enemy as so many are quick to suggest. Instead, they are our friends, neighbors and peers.
The story of Juan Gomez is a testament to the youth of today standing up and fighting for what is right. Political action is more than protesting wars and voting, it's lobbying for your values and beliefs. Call your Senators and Congressmen and ask them to support the DREAM Act. Help keep some of the potentially greatest minds of our generation here. If 10 students in Washington can garner a stay of deportation, imagine what thousands of students across the country could do. It is up to us as young, educated Americans to help our peers achieve and strive.