Tonight at the Rose café, GRF Esmeralda Arrizon-Palomera gave a very interesting talk on the DREAM act and its effect on undocumented youth. While I had heard about the political controversy surrounding the DREAM act, I was not aware that this act is also controversial among undocumented immigrants themselves.

Although the DREAM act has never been passed into law, Esmeralda explained that it has been influential in shaping societal depictions of undocumented youth. Specifically, she described how many of these youth feel that the “DREAMer narrative” limits their acceptable roles in societies to being students, and thus divides them into “deserving” and “undeserving” categories. Many also feel that the language of this narrative merely transfers the blame for their undocumented status by criminalizing the actions of their parents.

Esmeralda then went on to describe how many undocumented youth have reacted in recent years to what they feel is an inaccurate portrayal of themselves by initiating their own advocacy and protest movement. She noted that there are many parallels between this movement and the civil rights movement, for instance both have employed the tactics of civil disobedience and large protest marches to raise awareness. I found this comparison very interesting as it connects the modern struggles of undocumented youth into a broader history of individuals who have fought for the right to define their own identities.