The DREAM Act

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Recommended: Struggles of undocumented students in higher education

Every year, about 2.8 million students graduate from a United States high school. They have dreams of going to college or to the military to have an opportunity to make something of their lives. However, each year, there is also a group of about 65,000 students who will not have that chance to advance in their lives (CIR_DREAM paragraph 1). They are unable to do so because they were brought to the US illegally by their parents when they were children, and have the status of an illegal immigrant. Despite the fact that these individuals have lived their entire lives in the US, this immigration status hinders their ability to obtain a higher education. Although an immigrant may have been residing in the state for years, they are not allowed to receive in-state tuition for college and must pay the high out of state or the international student tuition instead. Due to the fact that they are illegal immigrants, most individuals in these families are not able to acquire jobs that pay higher than minimum wage and cannot afford to go to college because of these high tuition rates. Some of these individuals were among the top ranked students in their high schools and have the dedication and determination to achieve whatever they set their mind to. This problem hinders their ability to achieve their goals. This issue affects me on a personal level because one of my very good friends is currently having this dilemma. He is a documented illegal immigrant who came to the US on a Visa. He spent half of his life here, achieved high marks in high school, and enrolled in college. However, due to the recent economic downfalls, his family cannot afford to stay in the US, and my friend is not able to stay in the US on his own because he cannot afford ...

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... DREAM Act Portal | DREAM Act Portal. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. .

FAIR. "The "DREAM Act": Hatch-ing Expensive New Amnesty for Illegal Aliens." The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

Kobach, Kris W. "The Senate Immigration Bill Rewards Lawbreaking: Why the DREAM Act Is a Nightmare." The Heritage Foundation - Conservative Policy Research and Analysis. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

Nick. "Basic Information about the DREAM Act Legislation | DREAM Act Portal." Welcome to the DREAM Act Portal | DREAM Act Portal. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

United We Dream. "DREAM Act 2009 Talking Points." Scribd. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

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