The Dream Act 2000 and the Story of Carla

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Imagine being a child told that you are living in the land of opportunities, where all your dreams can come true. However, these opportunities require that you follow the law, give back to the community, and achieve high standing in school. For one of my friends, this idea was embedded into her mind since she was young and it became her ultimate goal. For the sake of her privacy I will refer to her as Carla throughout the paper. Her parents made the decisions to come to America when she was only three years old. Up until now, the only place she had known as home was Portland, Oregon, where she made all her friends and memories. In preparation to grab a hold of opportunities like going to college, receiving scholarships, getting a drivers license or applying for a job, she pushed through hardships by thinking about the opportunities that await her. It is estimated that more than ten million ‘undocumented’ immigrants reside in the US today; this number is rapidly increasing by 700,000 every year (Kane and Johnson, 2006). As an effort to provide these undocumented youth, like Carla an opportunity to go to college and apply their education towards a, Sen. Orin Hatch and Richard Durin proposed the Dream Act in 2000 to help these undocumented youth obtain a 6 year long conditional path to citizenship, if they complete college or serve two years in the military (The DREAM Act). Carla was the valedictorian of her class, the presidents of two clubs, and volunteered hundreds of hours in high school. One day she received news that would shatter her hopes and dreams. She found out that she was not eligible to apply for scholarships or attend her dream school because of the title she possessed: ‘undocumented.’ When all her dreams were shatte... ... middle of paper ... ...by $2.3 billion over the next 10 year (Valencia, 2010). The research also reports that once these individuals become educated, they will be less likely to depend on welfare, they will make added informed decisions regarding healthcare, personal finance, and most importantly retirement. This could help the government spend money on more important things like education. The DREAM Act will open up thousands of opportunities for undocumented immigrants, who through their academic achievements and clean criminal records have proven themselves able to be responsible, active, intelligent, productive American citizens. Before opposing an Act or a Bill, he or she should find evidence that illustrates the harmful effect it would have on society. As Americans, we hold in our hand the dream of these individuals so make the decision rationally. Don’t let talent go to waste.

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