The Road to Citizenship for the Children of Illegal Immigrants

 

 

The Dream Act

 

          In June of 2012, President Barack Obama addressed children and young adults who were “in danger of being deported to a country they never knew, having been brought here by their parents” (Washington Times. 1). According to the Dream Act Portal, “The Dream Act is a bipartisan legislation-pioneered by Senator Hatch and Senator Durbin – that can solve this hemorrhaging injustice in our society” (Dream Act Portal, 1). As inspirational as the Dream Act sounds, the act is presently only a temporary one. Congress must agree to make this a permanent act. Relieving children of illegal immigrants by allowing them to become employed or further their education is a step in the right direction. The provisions of the Dream Act qualify of illegal immigrants who came to the United States before they were sixteen years old, graduated from high school or received a GED, have a clean criminal record, and maintained constant residency in America for five years. If the Dream Act becomes permanent, an illegal immigrant will have six years “to obtain a two year college degree or complete two years of military service” (Dream Activist). An immigrant will then be eligible to obtain American citizenship.

 

Expansion of the Dream Act

 

          An expansion of the Dream Act would include children of all ages and their families. Currently, it excludes anyone thirty years of age or older. However, this new and potential growth of the Dream Act, called the gang of eight bill, would reach out to any child of any age. This new Dream Act would include those immigrants who “have aged out of eligibility under more recent iterations of the act” (Huffington Post Politics). The “new” gang of eight bill would allow immigrants to obtain a legal, permanent residency in half the time. Under this bill, the illegal immigrants who were expelled “could also apply to reenter the United States as long as they were in the country prior to 2012 and not deported for criminal reasons” (1). The new version has received bipartisan support.

 

Conclusion

 

      America is a country of many proud traditions. It has opened its doors many times to those in need. It has offered refuge for those fleeing persecution without legal papers. Laws have been changed to correct immigration injustices based on race. Many noncitizens in the past have become legalized because of their integration and their valuable contribution to society even though they first arrived illegally. The Dream Act and its expanded version should carry on these traditions. Surround by family, friends, and community, the “Dreamers” of present and past have few memories of the countries they left as children. These “undocumented immigrants” who came with their parents want to live and dream as Americans because America is their home.