I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act remains a dream, but for some eligible students, they can sleep a little easier.
Thwarted by anti-immigrant Republicans as he tried to make the DREAM Act a reality, President Obama decided to take baby steps keeping some of this land’s best and brightest from being shamefully and wastefully deported. If the DREAM Act passes, in a span of 10 years the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would increase by at least $1.5 trillion, according to a Center for American Progress.
In June Obama issued an executive order called the Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as the first step towards immigration reform for young Dreamers. It is a sensible move that keeps legions of outstanding young people raised as Americans in America. It targets college-educated Latinos and DREAM Act-eligible young people serving in the military.
DACA has criteria similar to the DREAM Act. To be eligible young Latinos:
were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012.
came to the United States before reaching their 16th birthday.
have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007.
were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012 and at the time of making a request for DACA.
entered without inspection before June 15, 2012 or lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012.
are currently in school, have graduated or earned a GED. Active duty or honorably discharged military.
no criminal record.
There are about 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. If these immigrants were able to pay income taxes, it would pump millions into the U.S. economy daily. A June 2012 study by the Fiscal Policy Institute concluded that 18 percent of all small businesses in the U.S. are owned by immigrants, creating 4.7 million jobs and generating $776 billion in annual tax revenue. With 1,760,000 potential beneficiaries for the DACA in the U.S. today, future revenue generation could be in the trillions of dollars.
Dreamers want to pay taxes. With DACA, Dreamers would have an opportunity to get a Social Security Number and pay taxes as any other American worker.
Obama is wisely trying to keep smart, ambitious young people in the country to contribute to our nation’s future.
“These young people are going to make extraordinary contributions and are already making contributions to our society,” he said upon signing the order.
The full Dream Act needs to be passed and Obama called it one of his second term goals. This nation, built from immigration, needs to progress. Republican politicians pandering to their conservative, racist base are damaging the future of the U.S. by failing to pass immigration reform that will keep talent here at home, substantially boost our economy and bring millions of innocent young people in from the shadows.
Maybe after the shellacking the GOP took in the 2012 election, the rhetoric of the campaign trail can be replaced by the reason of what is best for this nation.
One can only dream.