What would you do if you lived each day with the threat of deportation on your mind? Thousands of teenagers in this country must live like this, despite growing up here and knowing no other country. Even though they are American in every other way, this population must live and work with no legal status to protect them from this threat. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act aims to mitigate this very pressing problem.
First introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in 2001, the DREAM Act would provide a path to conditional permanent residency, and ultimately citizenship, for thousands of teens and young adults across America who show they deserve it. Strict conditions must be met for these people to enjoy the benefits of the bill.
The bill, reintroduced in both houses of Congress in 2009, outlines the requirements one would need to qualify for the benefits: One must have entered the United States before age 16; have been present in the United States at least five years before enactment of the bill; have graduated from a U.S. high school, obtained a GED diploma or been accepted into an institution of higher education; and be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of application. The last and haziest requirement is that the applicant must have good moral character. As there is no specific definition of this in the bill, we can only presume that having "good moral character" entails not being convicted of a felony.
Once the requirements are met and the applicant is accepted, she or he would be granted "conditional permanent residency" for six years. This would allow the applicant to obtain freedoms enjoyed by other residents while putting him or her on a path to permanent residency. If the applicant completed two years of college or served for two years in a branch of the armed forces during the six years of conditional permanent residency, he or she would become eligible for legal permanent residency and could eventually apply for citizenship.
If met, the above conditions would show without a doubt that one is a productive, active and positive member of society. There should be no reason to deny such constructive people the benefits of permanent resident status in our country. Moreover, there are countless other reasons to support this bill, from revitalization of our economy, with more skilled workers entering the workforce, to expanding the capabilities of our armed forces. It would be wise for Congress to pass this bill and help thousands realize their full potential within the framework of American society.
This "pinko" is not the only one who supports the DREAM Act and this expansion of liberty. According to immigration reform advocacy group America's Voice, a majority of all Americans support passage of the bill. When broken down by party affiliation, the results are even more surprising. Majorities of Democrats (81 percent), independents (60 percent) and Republicans (57 percent) all support the DREAM Act. Of course, just because the herd likes an idea doesn't make it the right thing to do. However, in this case, it is clear that it would be a sensible solution to an expanding problem.
Besides ordinary Americans, our leaders also want to see this idea come to fruition. President Barack Obama, in a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Tuesday, expressed support for the DREAM Act and requested that it come to a vote during the lame duck session of this Congress.
Despite all of its strong points, the bill has not been passed in the nine years it has been on Capitol Hill. This bill would be a great first step in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform, which a majority of Americans support. Obama desperately needs to make a strong policy achievement in the wake of the recent election.
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Joshua Youner is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Joshua.Youner@tufts.edu.
