Dreamer

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Why we will still be arguing about immigration amnesties for illegal students
What is the American dream? To many Latin America people crossing the border to the
United States in a pursuit of a better life away from all the poverty and horrible living conditions,
is the American dream. The United States has been dealing with immigration topics like building
a wall between Mexico and the USA, enforcing security at the border, deportations, and fighting
amnesties to not get passed with Congress. As the undocumented percentage keeps rising
throughout the years everyone forgets that there is about 1 million of young illegal students who
were brought to the United States in a pursuit of a better future. The fact is, thousands of young
illegal children grow up in the United States with the same dreams and goals as any other U.S
born student and that is to attend college and have a career. As the 2016 election is getting closer
the illegal students are hoping that Congress can redefine an amnesty to allow them on a path to
citizenship and allow them to stay in schools, colleges and even Universities. In this paper I will
argue why The D.A.C.A. program passed by Barack Obama should be a way to refine a reform
for the illegal students that have been in United States for at least over a decade or even decades.
Millions of undocumented families live in the United States and at least half came into
the country with kids and enrolled them in the school system but what happens when the children
are ready to go to college and are not eligible for financial aid or other privileges? Well they are
forced to follow the steps of their hard working parents, which is finding a low minimum wage
paying job and hope for a better tomorrow. In June 2009 Barack Obama introduced a program
called the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (D.A.C.A.).When this program was announced
millions of undocumented students finally found hope in that program and for the first time in
years this program brought tears of hope and the fear of getting deported finally came to an end.

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The program is indeed is very prompt on who is eligible for D.A.CA. and even though it was just
a two- year work permit eligibility and allowed an illegal individual to join the Armed forces, it
was very helpful to the millions estimated young immigrants living in the United States.
D.A.C.A consisted of a criteria which were: an applicant had to be under the age of 31 as of June
2012; have come to the United States before he or she was 16; have resided in the United States
continuously since June 2007; be a high school graduate or current student; and have not been
convicted of a felony, three or more misdemeanors and not be a threat to public safety.
Immigrants hold jobs, pay taxes legally, attend school, have driver license, open bank accounts,
eligible for credit cards and live in peace with the new program thanks to Barack Obama. With
the program the eligible students were able to obtain a social security card which helped with
finding jobs to make more money to pay for college. Also he or she was able to apply for a
driver license which meant they would have to have insurance by law and actually was
convenient for other drivers and insurance companies. Many of the illegal students just want a
chance to prove to Congress that they too have dreams and are willing to go to college or even
join the U.S. Armed forces if given the opportunity and show they too can make a difference in
this world and stopped getting treated like criminals.

The United States has always gone into war with other countries across the world and
many noncitizens have been living in this country for far too long, that they even take into
consideration to fight for a country that has given them a better lifestyle in return to get a chance
to become a citizen of the U.S.A. The Armed forces has been doing this for the past years but are
very strict with who gets recruited and have to prove themselves trustworthy of not being a
national security threat. According to a chart made in 2009 Infobase Publishing by Jeremy Eagle,
Mexico ranks second from the top 10 countries of origin for active noncitizens in the Armed

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force and that is not including the Latinos born in the United States. If it wasn’t for their parents
coming into the country illegally, the country would have not have Hispanic soldiers fighting for
a country that has given their families a chance of a better dream. Many Americans do fear that
the country will have too many immigrants migrate from Latin America cities because this
country already has problems of its own and do not want to add another on top of that list.

Following the law is the primary factor in this country and coming here is breaking the
law but is it wrong trying to run away from a place that has no economic future. There are
illegals who do come into the country and take advantage of the system like applying for food
stamps and other government help but there are Americans who are born here and take
advantage of it as well and just because they think they have the right for being born in this
country don’t make it right. Having illegal immigrants will raise the cost of school taxes to fund
schools because of the growth of children population. When Obama took upon himself to
promise legal status to millions of minors it created a massive dangerous scenarios at the border
because thousands of minors fled to the U.S. in hopes of having working permits. Children were
being send to the country with “coyotes”, men payed to help you cross the border illegally,
risking many of illegal minors lives. Opponents of Obama have attacked him on his drastic
decision of granting working permits to immigrants at a time when Americans are struggling
finding a job.

Immigration will always be talked over the years and whether its building a wall,
enforcing more border security, reforms for illegals to apply for residency, and working
visas/permits the United States needs to realize that immigrants are not criminals, that illegal
families just want to be part of a country in which they can live in peace and have a future. I too
was brought here without my own will at an early age of 4 years old. I grew up going to the

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entire school system until I finally finished high school and receiving my high school diploma.
Now 10 years later after graduation, I can happily say that attending college would have just
been a dream for me but thanks to Obama for passing the D.A.CA. program it has brought me a
step closer to the hope of one day becoming a citizen of the United States of America and
proudly announce, “ I am an American”! So yes I surely agree in punishment for breaking the
law but being here for more than two decades just do not seem fair to get thrown out from a
country in which I am just hoping to finish college and contribute to a country in which has
given me a chance of chasing a dream.