The presentation by the Dream Cornell Students was not actually one of my favorite events, but it was still very interesting. This may be because I fundamentally disagree with a few of the things the students said. I agree one hundred percent that we need immigration reform in America, and that it isn’t fair the way undocumented students are treated. They should not have to live in constant fear of deportation, and they should be able to seek help when they need it without fear of retribution. However, I disagree with some of the arguments they were making. I do think a path to citizenship should be easier, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that just because your parents are good people automatically means they should be citizens. I am not trying to be rude or disrespectful to anyone’s parents, and I do believe they worked hard to get you here, but it seems very ungrateful to say that if you gain citizenship through acts like the Dream Act, then your parents deserve automatic citizenship too, because they made you who you are and gave you everything. I think we need to make it easier for adults to become citizens, but I don’t think it’s fair to disparage the act, which is certainly a step in the right direction, because it doesn’t cover everything you want.

One thing I did completely agree with the Dream students on is the treatment of international students. The University has recently decided that DOCA students will start getting federal financial aid, while international students will no longer be accepted on a need blind basis. This is absolutely not a fair tradeoff, and I am glad the Dream students are acting in solidarity with international students instead of just accepting this advance as a win for them.