Next week, the lame duck Congress will vote on passing the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (or DreamAct). If passed, the DreamAct will provide people who illegally entered the United States before age 16 with a path to citizenship. In order to qualify, a person must graduate from high school or attain a GED, and then either enroll at a four-year institution of higher learning or volunteer to serve in the military for two years.
When most people think about the DreamAct, they think of it as an immigration issue (which it is). The first thing I think about is its educational impact. I have worked with under-served high school students in New York City for the last three-and-a-half years. The most challenging college-admissions related problem I have faced so far is dealing with undocumented students. There are many talented and bright undocumented students living throughout the country who did not make the choice to come to the United States but now have established lives here. Undocumented students cannot legally receive any federally-funded student financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships, and work-study programs. Most private scholarships also require that recipients be citizens as well.
This problem has people in the college-access community stumped. I have attended several education conferences, and this topic is continually addressed. It seems like at each conference a counselor tells a story about a dynamic and motivated student who has no real options for his or her educational future. I have my own story too--I work with an undocumented female student who recently graduated from Washington Irving High School. The student's mother sent her to the United States from Guyana when she was much younger because of an abusive situation at home. She has not seen her mother since she left the Guyana. By her senior year she discovered she would not be able to get any financial assistance to go to college because of her illegal status. Because she lives with a family that requires her to babysit to earn her "keep," she was unable to participate in many extracurricular and social activities during high school. Despite these obstacles, she is making the best of her situation and making her life in the United States work anyway she can. She has enrolled at a community college and is taking classes, and getting paid under the table to pay for it.
To top it all off, this girl is a sweetheart. She has made it her personal mission to help other struggling students at WIHS make their way to graduation and to college. She meets with students daily to check on their progress and identifies students that should be set up with mentors. Her work ethic and her character make me confident in her ability to thrive at a four year institution. Right now, it is unclear what will happen to her after she is done with her studies at the community college. Returning to Guyana would be devastating. Her life is here. Further, the expectations and rights of women in Guyana are far different than those in the United States. For her sake, I wish the DreamAct had been passed a long time ago.
She is not a rare case-- all over the country, young and motivated students face this challenge. In some areas of the country, the problem much is worse. In New York (and in
nine other states), undocumented students can at least can qualify for in-state tuition. In other states, public universities charge undocumented students out-of-state tuition. In a world where college costs are rapidly increasing, this leaves many bright students in a very bad spot. The DreamAct would make undocumented students eligible for federal financial aid and in-state tuition.
US Immigration policy is far from perfect, but the DreamACT is one step in the right direction. There is still a lot of work to be done, but children should not be held responsible for their parents' illegal activities. Many students came here at such a young age that they consider the United States their home. I'm still hoping for the best, and I know thousands of undocumented students are too.
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When I've discussed the DreamAct with friends, I have noticed that there is a lot of confusion and misconceptions about what the act entails. I've listed some information and links below for your benefit:
1) Children must have arrived to the United States before age 16 and have lived here for five years. Its not just anyone who has lived here for five years. These are children who came here through no choice of their own. At the time of it's enactment, people applying for a path to citizenship through the DreamAct must be under 30 years old.
2) The act does not provide citizenship, but does provide a path to citizenship. Students are granted legal residency status for six years. Within those six years, a person must complete four years at an institution of higher learning or spend two years serving in the military (and must receive an honorable discharge upon the two years completion).
3) They must have a "Good Moral Character." This means that rights given by the DreamAct can also be taken away.
For More Information on the Dream Act
- http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/12/dream_act_fact_sheet.html
- http://www.economist.com/node/17575113
- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572404575635202343271966.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter
- http://www.micevhill.com/home_december_2010.php#significant_changes_made_in_senate_to_dream_act
- http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/colin-powell-endorses-military-service-as-road-to-927357.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/us/politics/01immig.html?_r=2&ref=education
