Four high-achieving students in Arizona have had a lot on their minds recently.
Aside from finals, projects and maintaining a social life, the four students have had to worry about being deported back to a country they don't even call home.
In June 2002, these four students were detained at the Canadian border after a trip to Niagara Falls. They had been participating in an international solar-powered boat competition in New York when they decided to take a side trip across the border.
Border officials stopped the four students because they weren't legal U.S. citizens. Their parents had brought them illegally across the border from Mexico when they were small children. According to The Arizona Republic, while they aren't legally American citizens, they don't remember living in a country other than America.
Congress has been discussing a bill known as the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act. In many cases, the DREAM Act would grant undocumented immigrants a chance at permanent residency. If the immigrants entered the country before they were 16, had lived in the United States for five years, graduated high school and either served two years in the U.S. military or attended college for two years, they would be covered by the DREAM Act.
This bill could help these four students and many others in their situation out of a jam for which they should not be fully accountable.
After all, when their parents decided to cross the border and chase the American dream, they didn't have a choice. A 2-year-old whose parents carry him across the border shouldn't be held responsible for walking into our country. Nor should these students be punished for something their parents did when they weren't even old enough to spell "border."
That isn't to say they should be let off the hook completely. Once you are old enough to go to college, it can be assumed that you know at least a little bit about the way you came to this country. While the students could be held partly responsible for not being legal citizens, the blame should be placed on the parents or the policy and public views on immigration in the United States.
A great percentage of our country is vehemently opposed to immigration. While they overlook the fact that Native Americans are the only true nonimmigrants, they have a right to harbor their particular beliefs on immigration.
The process of becoming a legal citizen isn't easy, and on top of all the paperwork, immigrants have to deal with the negative impression certain Americans have of them. No one would have a positive outlook on his or her chances of becoming a legal citizen if the person experienced some of the negativity that some Americans display.
In a nation where we show so much pride in being the best in the world, we sure are stingy when it comes to letting other people join what we consider to be a winning team.
Suddenly America becomes "the cool group" from middle school. We think we're hot stuff, but if others want to join in on this action, they're not cool enough to sit at our table during lunch.
The four students have been given 10 months to become legal citizens. Hopefully in that time, Congress won't punish them for the actions of their parents and the tightness of our borders.
Chris Fanning is a journalism junior. Reach him at chrisopher.fanning@asu.edu.
