On March 16, Esmeralda Arrizón-Palomera, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of English, talked about the infamous DREAM Act during the Rose Scholars Café. Basically, this document allows children who live in the United States but are undocumented to have a chance to receive an education by granting them temporary residency in the country. It is not an official law, and there are various specific requirements as to what it means to be an undocumented citizen. Ideally, after a student completes their education, the hope is that they will receive permanent residency in the United States, which means the world to so many young adults who live with fear of getting deported.

When I first heard of this policy, it seemed like such a wonderful movement that our nation was taking in acknowledging the hard work of many of its citizens. So many families has left their countries of birth in search of a better life in the United States, away from persecution, corruption, and terrorism. Ultimately, the hope that finding a better life with more opportunities for their children lies somewhere else in the world is what drives them to do whatever possible to make it to this country. “America is the land of opportunities,” and although many critics have recently begun arguing against this statement, I believe that it holds much truth to this day.

My parents were illegal immigrants and became citizens between the years 1995-2000. It goes without saying that their main motivation to leave Peru was the hope of a better life that awaited them. The DREAM Act provides so much hope for children that were brought here by their families and want to achieve more then what they could have in their nome country. Especially in Latin American countries, of which many I can speak from personal experience, receiving an education is so difficult that unless you have government ties or are involved in the oil trade, there is not much hope in becoming anything more then a lower middle class worker. Yes, I believe every  job has its value, but every person wants what is best for their family, and sadly Latin American countries do not offer any other choice but to remain in the status you are born into.

For this reason, I believe that the DREAM Act should be revised and passed in this country. If we believe in universal equal opportunities, then movements such as these are what our country needs to keep moving forward. These families know better than anyone else what it takes to “make it” in this country, and to reward their kids with the security of knowing that they can truly call this place their home and achieve whatever they desire through a proper education is a wonderful gift to provide them with.