November 16, 2016

Dear Future President:

Illegal immigration is widely known to be a huge problem in America and is a major topic talked about in the presidential election. A matter people may look past is, more specifically, the children of illegal immigrants. The complexities of this issue stretch far and wide, and some think that they have a negative effect on the economy, while others think that they have a positive or even no effect on the economy. If the American legislative proposal known as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act is passed, it will support illegal immigrants and their children. As the president of the United States of America, there are a lot of responsibilities, and there are many reasons why these children of the undocumented are important to the economy and why they are not considered a threat.

According to The Children of Undocumented Immigrants, “America can’t afford to pass the DREAM Act.” The truth: America cannot afford to not pass the bill. Although this claim is easy to believe, it would have a worse effect on America if they did not pass the bill. Many opponents are trying to pass curve balls in the mist of the bill in order to make others think that the bill is too costly; however, that is not true. The bill would not be paid all at once, it would be paid in several years. “The DREAM Act would award illegal behavior.” This is easy to conclude because of the crime rates in America, but according to David Haugen, the crime is not from illegal immigrants. This is not see monkey do. It would not award illegal behavior because there is no illegal behavior going on. These children came into this country without any say. They did not wake up one day and say, “I want to go to America, illegally.” Their parents did that for them. They should not be punished for something that they did not do. They would have to work hard in becoming a citizen and earning permanent residence.

“Passing the DREAM Act would encourage more illegal immigration.” This statement, from Haugen, declares the common thought that other illegal immigrants will seek refuge from the hate and journey to America when this bill is passed. While this argument is strong in logic, The DREAM Act is not going to be a widely known topic. It is going to be for the children currently in America. Currently, the nation is tightening their grip on security and making sure things like that do not happen. Once the bill is passed, it will mainly turn its head to criminals and people that seem to be threats. “The DREAM Act would trigger large-scale ‘chain migration.’ This would not occur because of how long it would take to get everything together. It would take a minimum of ten years before a beneficiary of the bill would be able to sponsor a child of illegal immigration and help them earn permanent residence.

Children of illegal immigrants are often looked down upon, ignored, and forgotten. They are given low standards by those around them, although the majority creates no real harm. By passing this bill, it would enable the Department of Homeland Security to focus on things like security threats as well as criminals. They do not harm anyone and it is not like they had a choice. They should not be punished for something their parents did. They still have to pay taxes, still have to attend school, and they still have to abide by the law. Why should America punish them without investigation to seek out the real problem?

Sincerely,

Julia

Bibliography

Fitz, Marshall. "Lawmakers Should Pass the DREAM Act." The Children of Undocumented Immigrants, edited by David Haugen and Susan Musser, Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&currPage=&dviSelectedPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010874205&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=lafa43079&jsid=041795a60e72f18004a540ee41e485b9. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.

Malkin, Michelle. "Lawmakers Should Reject the DREAM Act." The Children of Undocumented Immigrants, edited by David Haugen and Susan Musser, Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&mode=view&limiter=&display-query=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&windowstate=normal&currPage=&dviSelectedPage=&scanId=&query=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&catId=&displayGroups=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010874206&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=lafa43079&jsid=5cd24c174e441c6f3a8eaa9fc6e4a748. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.