Esmeralda Arrizon-Palomera’s presentation opened my eyes to the challenges that undocumented youth face in our country. The DREAM Act (short for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) was a bill in Congress that would have granted legal status to certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and went to school here. Although several versions of the bill have been introduced in Congress since 2001, it has unfortunately never passed. The term DREAMer originally took its name from the bill in Congress, but it has a positive double meaning about the undocumented youth who have big hopes and dreams for a better future.

DREAMers came the US at a young age, typically don’t have a clear consciousness about passing the border illegally, and as minors they did not do so based on their own free will. As undocumented immigrants, they face immense and persistent challenges in avoiding deportation, applying for scholarships to continue their education, and later on applying for jobs. The goal of the proposed DREAM Act has been to provide these youth with a path (albeit arduous) to become educated and legal citizens who can further contribute to our society.
As with any issue concerning immigration, such reforms are fought hard by opponents who argue against any perceived rewards for illegal behavior. And in this big debate, it is easy to forget that DREAMers are hardworking people who dream of a better future and are continuously striving and struggling for it. And even criminalizing their parents for having illegally cross the border may miss the fact that they were the ones who were aiming for a better future for their children. All of this is further evidence for me that we should deeply question our current immigration policies. Even though the issues are clearly quite complex and politically divisive, it behooves us to craft better policies that allows those who strive for the American dream to achieve it with more dignity and less strife.