Dreamer's Dream: The Reasons Why Daca Is Important

Over the last couple of centuries, the US has had a great increase in the amount of immigration over its borders. Many of these illegal immigrants consist of individuals seeking better protection, education, and new opportunities. One of America’s well-known nickname is “The land of opportunity”, but in the recent times of today that name isn’t a great description towards the actual few opportunities that are offered. However, in order for the name to stay true to its words, the US needs to change. If more opportunities are introduced to the various groups of immigrants who illegally cross then the US could proves its name through its actions. One group for example, DACA recipients also known as “Dreamers”. These include children that were brought to the US illegally at a very early age and have now grown up their entire lives in a country they see as home but can’t call home. Thus, a change in the laws of citizenship should be made in order for young immigrants to be given an opportunity to be granted a pathway to citizenship.

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM act was first introduced as a bill to congress in 2001. Since then numerous versions of the bill have been introduced in aid of helping dreamers towards citizenship, but none of the bills have been taken into law. The Dream Act is a bill that would have allowed legal status to be granted to children who were brought to the US at a very young age and continued their education in the US. After the numerous failed attempts for the bill, on June 15, 2012 President Barak Obama introduced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Unlike the Dream Act, DACA didn’t grant a pathway to citizenship, but instead gave the Dream act recipients a temporary protection from deportation and a work authorization card. After the new Trump Administration DACA has been in an uneasy state as it is a big debate between The President and Congress.

Additionally, since the new Trump Administration, DACA was put to an end. Old Recipients can still renew their documents every two years, but there is no entry to new recipients and most importantly no path to citizenship. There’s been no established solution to the fate of DACA, leaving these young recipients stressed and worried as to what might become of them. For many of these young immigrants their home is the US. These young kids have spent the majority of their lives in the US and know more about the country than they do of where they were actually born. Denying citizenship to these people is not the right choice instead, they deserve the chance to work their way towards citizenship.

Thus, a new law needs to be set for the fate of these young immigrants. Upon granting these immigrants the full opportunities of being an American citizen it could open so many doors to many of these recipients which consist of hard-working students and workers. This new law would follow the same guidelines as to the Dream Act. Young immigrants who were brought to the US at a certain young age could have the option to join an educated pathway to citizenship. As long as these young kids stay in school as they grow up and maintain passing grades they could have the same opportunities as a citizen and upon receiving their high school diploma these young adults would finally receive their full citizenship. They could continue on to college or start their own individual careers now as US citizens. This would mean more doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs and so much more. These immigrants would also introduce new mixtures of cultures which is what makes America great. “The great big melting pot” and “The land of Opportunities” is how America is known and viewed to these newcomers. If these names are to stay true to the US, then it starts with change. In the case for these certain young immigrants change means an opportunity for their new home and lives.

If a new law were to finally grant a chance for allowing young immigrants a path to citizenship, then these people who consider the US their home could finally be able to call it their home. These people know no other place to call home so it isn’t right to reject them of the only place they know. Many opportunities would open to the young immigrants, and they could grow to become a helpful factor in The US’s economy.

Bibliography

Epstein, Richard A. 'A Clean Deal on DACA: Here's a creative way to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program: sign it into law.' Hoover Digest, 2018. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.