It’s been said that you are bound to nothing but your dreams. They are what define you as an individual and set the course for your future.
If this is the case, illegal immigrants are at odds with this ideal. Instead of taking on their lives’ goals, they are tied to a piece of legislation.
Two ASU graduate students showed their disdain for this fact by protesting in Washington, D.C.
According to The Arizona Republic, grad students Erika Andiola and Dulce Matuz were arrested Tuesday while expressing their support of the DREAM Act, an immigration bill that aims to help illegal immigrant minors earn citizenship status.
Both Andiola and Matuz were involved in a sit-in that took place in the offices of several U.S. senators. Andiola sat in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office while Matuz sat in Arizona Sen. John McCain’s office.
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would offer children brought into the country before the age of 16 a path to citizenship. Attending college or serving in the armed forces for a minimum of two years would earn them legal status.
These two ASU students deserve our admiration for standing up for their beliefs. Andiola and Matuz believed in their cause so much that they not only traveled across the country but also ended up being detained by Capitol police.
What these students stood for does not amount to amnesty. Yes, it provides illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, but the group that the bill is tailored to committed no wrongdoings. Rather, they are reeling from the actions of their parents, who decided to immigrate illegally to the United States.
These students affected by the DREAM Act would prove they are contributing members of society, as the bill requires them to attend college or serve in the military and maintain “good moral standing” with the law. They would not get a free pass; rather, the citizenship would be earned.
Also, passage of this bill would help our economy. In 2007, the then-head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Julie Myers, told a Senate committee that it would cost $94 billion to find and remove all 12 million illegal immigrants, according to CNN. A new study from the Center for American Progress reports that cost would now be $285 billion.
Ninety-four billion dollars or $285 billion, take your pick.
Either way, it is a lot of money that could be used in more productive ways.
What if we were to offer tax cuts to small businesses to encourage them to hire? Perhaps the money could be used to fund education or aid to cash-strapped states.
Not only would we be losing this money if we relied on mass deportation, but we would lose all the talent that exists within this group of students that would otherwise be deported.
Entrepreneurs exist in this pool of students who will start businesses that will provide jobs and help the economy get back on its feet. Doctors can be found among those affected by the legislation as well.
Though time is dwindling down in this congressional session, the DREAM Act can still be passed. It has broad bipartisan support in both houses, something that is rare in the current partisan atmosphere. Though comprehensive immigration reform has been ruled out for this congressional session, there is still time to pass the DREAM Act.
Andrew can be reached at andrew.hedlund@asu.edu.