With elections in November and the introduction of SB1070 in Arizona, the issue of undocumented immigrants in the United States has once again become a topic of great debate. Many of the problems the United States faces today are blamed on undocumented immigrants. Unfortunately, it is undocumented students who receive the harshest punishment. Many immigrant children are brought to the United States undocumented by their parents at a very young age and have no say in their parents' decision. They are raised here their entire lives and know no other home. Like their fellow classmates, many excel in school with high GPAs, are talented athletes, and participate in school clubs, activities, and community service. However, despite all their achievements, as soon as they graduate high school they are left with an uncertain future, while their classmates go on to college or enter the work force. Undocumented students' dreams of becoming lawyers, doctors, politicians, engineers, architects, scientists, and more are all shattered because they lack a piece of paper that displays their legal status.
Some may say, "Why does it matter? They don't pay taxes, they don't contribute, they're criminals." Statements like this are undeniably FALSE. Not only do undocumented immigrants make purchases that aid the flow of the economy, they also pay sales, property, and income taxes, and contribute billion to Social Security and 1.5 billion to Medicare, but receive none of the benefits despite paying ,000 more per capita than what they use in government services (truthout.org). If undocumented families are paying taxes and doing what they can to do things the right way, why should the students be denied the opportunity to continue their education and further contribute to the country they call home?
United States News
Currently, undocumented students are in an extremely difficult situation because they must either remain in the United States undocumented where there is very little chance for them to receive a higher education or high-paying jobs, or they must return to a nation that is foreign to them, which often offers them no chance to advance. Although comprehensive immigration reform is far off, there is still a glimmer of hope. A bill known as the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) act would allow undocumented students who graduated from U.S. high schools, entered the country before the age of sixteen, and have good moral character to obtain legal status in the United States while pursuing a degree in higher education or serving in the military. Since its introduction in 2001 the bill has slowly begun to gain support, but has yet to be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Overall the bill would not only help undocumented students, but the United States as a whole. Of course the students benefit because they would be able to pursue their dreams, but the country would benefit through an improvement in the economy as students would be more willing to invest and high school drop out and crime rates would decrease because the students would have a promising future ahead of them. Why not give these students a chance?
Dream Act 2010 - Undocumented Students in the United States
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