EDITORIAL

U.S. Senate Should Dare to Make the American DREAM a Reality

Posted

On September 14, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced plans to offer the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill, which is likely to be debated on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week.

The proposal, sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), would put children of undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. prior to age 16, have lived in the United States for at least five years, and have graduated from high school, on a path to legal permanent residence and eventual citizenship if they attend college or join the military for two years. In addition, the proposal would allow students to attend their state colleges at in-state tuition rates.

The case of Eric Balderas whose parents brought him across the border illegally when he was four years old is the perfect example why the DREAM Act is so necessary. He went on to study in U.S. public schools and eventually became the valedictorian of his Highlands High School in San Antonio, Texas and now attends Harvard University pursing studies to become a cancer researcher. Balderas who did not knowingly break the law was arrested earlier this year by federal immigration officials who have granted him a temporary reprieve from deportation. His arrest and potential deportation serves as a stark reminder of the great need to reform the broken immigration system of our nation. The DREAM Act is one small step in correcting the serious flaws of the current system that punishes outstanding people such as Eric Balderas.

The DREAM Act has always had strong bipartisan support, and the U.S. Catholic bishops have been long-standing supporters of the legislation. The DREAM Act would make a difference in the lives of undocumented youth who were brought to the United States by their parents and now, because of their lack of legal status, face obstacles to their future. By removing such barriers, the DREAM Act permits immigrant students to pursue a promising future through college education or military service. Those benefitting from the DREAM Act are talented, intelligent and dedicated young people who know only the U.S. as their home. The U.S. only stands to benefit from allowing these dedicated and productive students the pursuit of the American Dream.

The DREAM Act is not amnesty as many anti-immigrant groups and xenophobic political pundits have suggested. Rather, it is the recognition that in our midst are many young people like Eric Balderas who only know one country: the United States. And they want to continue contributing to the strengthening of our country. We urge all the members of the U.S. Senate to see how the DREAM Act will genuinely benefit our country, and to vote for its passage and a make the American DREAM a reality for those who so justly deserve it.