Immigration Newsletter – June 2012
Dreaming of DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors)
For years I have pinned my hope that Congress would soon pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM Act) to help legalize a selective group of minors that have grown up in the United States to become lawful permanent residents. These youth have been in the United States most of their life. Our school systems help them with their education, and some have moved forward with college on their own without the assistance of grants, funding or student loans. After earning a degree (whether high school or college), these youths are facing a daunting task of procuring a job or profession without any proper legal documents / their once promising future and dreams come to an immediate halt without work authorization documents or legal status. I personally believe that these youths are our assets in which we have personally invested in them, but we have failed to capitalize on their talents and potential by not offering them a legal status in our society/ for these reasons, I had high hopes that the DREAM Act would soon be passed. After all, Congress, whether the Republican or Democratic Party, has bilaterally supported the DREAM Act. My hope for Congress to pass the DREAM Act dissipated over the years. The Senate has introduced the DREAM Act almost every year, but it did not go far in the legislation process. The DREAM Act was even incorporated into the comprehensive immigration reform legislation in 2005 and 2007, but the legislation failed. The passing of the DREAM Act would be a dream for these youths, especially given the current stagnate political environment on an election year.
Yesterday, the White House administration, bypassed Congress, and announced that the Department of Homeland Security would implement deferred action for those that are eligible under the DREAM Act this is a step closer to the dream. Although it is an exercise of prosecutorial discretion by an administrative agency, deferred action has at least temporary provided a lawful status for these youth to further pursue their future. More importantly, it now forces Congress to address the DREAM Act or at least provide political coverage for Congress to pass the DREAM Act. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has provided a list of frequently asked questions and answers about the recently announced deferred action program.
