There are currently millions of unauthorized immigrants living the United States and a large percent of them live in Texas. Currently, all undocumented immigrant children are guaranteed a free public education from kindergarten through high school because of the Supreme Court case Plyer v. Doe. The Supreme Court decided that all children have the right to a free education and realized the harm that being uneducated brings to a child’s life. The problem in today’s society is not about undocumented immigrants going to public school but it has to do with them being able to attend colleges and universities.
During President Clinton’s term in office, he created a law that discouraged states from allowing unauthorized aliens to receive higher education benefits and many states still follow this law. Undocumented immigrants are not able to receive in-state tuition rates at any university and this makes it extremely difficult for them to afford college. Many undocumented immigrants live in poverty and denying them financial aid and an in-state tuition rate makes it almost impossible for them to attend college. I grew up on the border with Matamoros, Mexico and I saw the extreme level of poverty in both Mexico and the United States. I feel that giving undocumented immigrants who already live in the United States the chance to attend college fairly would be beneficial to society and the economy. Even with a college education, illegal immigrants would not be able to legally work in the United States. Working illegally and for less than minimum wage hurts many immigrants and continues the cycle of poverty for their families. I think a solution to this would be the current proposed DREAM Act that Democrats have presented to Congress.
The DREAM Act would allow immigrants to attend colleges by paying in-state tuition rates and would also be a way for them to gain their legal residency. Immigrants would have to meet certain requirements, like being a certain age and not breaking the law, but they would eventually be able to gain their citizenship by graduating from college or serving in the Armed Forces. I feel that the DREAM Act is a road to citizenship for thousands of undocumented immigrants and a chance for them to really start thriving in America. A child cannot be denied a higher education or chance at a career just because they were brought to America by their parents without a choice. I feel that a federal DREAM Act would help benefit the growing population of immigrants throughout the country. The United States and Texas need to create a more progressive immigration reform and the best way to do this is by starting the DREAM Act.
I couldn’t agree more with your article. Mexican Americans are among the fastest growing minorities in the United States, especially in Texas. They come over poor and because of the lack of resources that the states give them (such as equal job opportunities or education) they live their lives dirt poor. It is a cycle that should, and could with the DREAM Act, be broken.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the states do not offer enough help for families that are undocumented immigrants. There are scholarships for Native Americans who live on reservations but we do not have any scholarships for undocumented immigrants? I find this hard to digest. It seems unfair and just plain wrong.
The act allows for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship by attending college and paying in-state tuition rates as long as they have no criminal record I think that the DREAM Act is a wonderful idea that could help actually clean up our citizens.
It also helps pave the road for those undocumented immigrants that work hard to achieve their goals, those who deserve a chance to reach for their dreams and seize the moment!
In short I do believe in this act and do hope it passes congress.
Reading Francisco Cordova's compelling argument in favor of the dream act compelled me to do some extra research on the topic. Unfortunately I found out that the dream act was shot down during the last congressional session, and now that republicans have an even greater presence it is not likely to get this passed in the near future. However it appears that there are other alternatives to this that are gaining momentum In a recent blog by George Zornick there is a process going on that republicans have nick named “the secret dream act”. The secret dream act was actually a memo sent by the director of the ice (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) saying that “discretion” should be used when seeing if someone should be deported. It basically says that if the illegal aliens are in fact contributing to the betterment of the community then it would not be in our best interest to use our limited resources, and deport them. The article goes on to say that there are also several laws trying to get passed in various states trying to make it cheaper for illegals to go to college (surprisingly Texas is one of those states). While this certainly is not nearly as forward as the dream act Cordova was talking about it, I believe it is a step in the right direction, and would like to see more legislation like it. Especially when it comes to making greater education available to more people, we need to realize that by sharing the benefits of higher education with others we can only gain from it.
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