The House of Representatives voted today on a bill that would allow undocumented students, including those of Asian descent, a path to citizenship via higher education or military enlistment.
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) is a proposal for undocumented high school graduates who want to continue on to higher education or the military and have good moral character. For these students, conditional permanent residence could be obtained. In terms of Asian students, one in 10 are covered by the DREAM Act, while 65,000 eligible high school students graduate each year.
The Senate must next take up a vote on the DREAM Act, possibly as early as tomorrow. If it passes there, America could remain a land of opportunity for its millions of immigrants. After all, it’s our diversity that unites us.
“We urge Congress to give these outstanding young people the chance to give back to America,” said Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. In addition, Asian American student leaders from about 60 universities across the nation have been sending letters to Congress urging members to pass the DREAM Act before the end of the year. Last week the Congressional Budget Office reported that the legislation would generate $2.3 billion in tax revenue over a 10 span of years.
The DREAM Act seems to strike the right balance in the contentious issue of illegal immigration by focusing on higher education as both a human right and a privilege.
For more information on the DREAM Act, please visit: http://dreamact.info/students.
Where do you stand on this issue? Are you for the DREAM Act, or is it just in our dreams?
