DREAM Act Gives Illegal Immigrants a Chance

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The DREAM Act is proposed legislation that was first introduced in 2001. If put into action, it would give illegal immigrants who crossed the border when they were young the chance to become documented citizens of the United States, given they fulfill certain requirements. The DREAM Act should be put into place at the federal level because it will benefit the United States by filling spots in the military and adding talented young scholars to the workforce, as well as give young immigrants the freedom and pursuit of happiness they are promised.
The DREAM Act, an acronym for Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors Act, was first introduced in 2001 by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch. The first hearing was scheduled to be held on September 12, 2001, but was postponed due to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Since then, the DREAM Act has been tossed back and forth, but never made it to the point of passing at the federal level. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are for it, so that’s not the problem. Some states, California, for example, have set in place their own adaptation of the DREAM Act.
The DREAM Act was originally meant to assist individuals who legally came to the United States as children to eventually get US citizenship, give that they fill a specific set of requirements. In order to apply for the DREAM Act, an individual must have been 15 years of age or younger when they arrived in the United States. One must have been in the United States for five or more consecutive years prior to applying, and be of 12-35 years of age at the time of application. One must have graduated from high school in the United States, have received his or her GED in the United States, or been accepted ...

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...the DREAM Act is a win-win situation. It gives innocent people the rights they need to go about their daily life in peace, and in return, it supplies the United States with a pool of highly-functioning, talented, and intelligent people to take their places in our nation. These people would go on to help the American economy excel and to keep the United States Military a revered, honorable force. It also would boost our reputation as a nation in a time when we are beginning to decline in that regard. Our forefathers wrote that America was “the land of the free”. The DREAM Act would only ensure that statement even further. With the DREAM Act in place, we can help people to achieve their dreams while benefiting ourselves as well. We should all take the lead of California Governor Jerry Brown when he says, “I’m committed to expanding opportunity wherever I can find it.”

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