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"Our friends and our family are always telling us not to do it," said Francisco Gutierrez, 18, a Georgetown University student who moved to the United States from Mexico when he was 3 and recently revealed his illegal status while advocating for the passage of the DREAM Act. "I tell them we can't be fearful anymore. We can't live our lives afraid that there's always something going to happen to us just because we are undocumented."
Unfortunately, Mr. Gutierrez and dozens of other students who bravely revealed their status now face being found and deported, after the controversial bill buckled under the weight of a GOP filibuster in the Senate.
Introduced, but later denounced by Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in 2001, the DREAM Act would allow students who entered the United States illegally before the age of 16 to apply for Legal Permanent Residency, after meeting several qualifications such as having a clean criminal record and completing either two years of college or military service.
In the current volatile political landscape that includes the passage of Arizona's strict immigration law, SB 1070, though, Hatch is now suddenly concerned with what the voters might think:
"The American people want the government to secure our borders, create jobs and reduce the deficit." Hatch said. "Instead, Senate leadership is insisting on ignoring the will of the people and holding our troops hostage by cynically pushing a defense bill chock-full of controversial measures to score cheap political points with its liberal base."
The other "cheap" issue Hatch is referring to is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which after 17 years of forcing gay and lesbian troops to hide their sexual orientation, has been repealed by a vote of 65–31 in the Senate.
It is gravely ironic that the historic moment came on the day that thousands of undocumented youth's dreams were shattered.
Approved by a slight majority of 216–198 in the U.S. House last December 8th, the Dream Act was supported by a broad array of national organizations and individuals, including President Barack Obama, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Such strong support, though, did not weaken the convictions of Republicans who have referred to the bill as a "bail-out for illegal children" and "the gateway to amnesty."
Immigrant rights groups said they planned to turn up the pressure on the Obama administration to slow deportations and end local police enforcement of immigration laws. Students also said they planned to fight for immigrant benefits - though it's not legalization - locally as they've seen anti-illegal immigration activists do to pass tougher enforcement measures in states like Arizona.
"This is a movement," said Nancy Meza, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant and college graduate who wore a University of California, Los Angeles sweatshirt as she watched the televised vote. "We don't have lobbyists and paid staff. It's a movement by students."
President Obama said after the vote that he would continue pushing for the DREAM Act and other steps toward immigration reform:
"It is disappointing that common sense did not prevail today," he said in a statement. "But my administration will not give up on the DREAM Act or on the important business of fixing our broken immigration system."
I emphatically believe that if someone has the courage to make it to this country seeking better opportunities for themselves and their children, they should be allowed to become citizens after the legalization process. They should be afforded the full protection of the United States of America throughout this process, and at its conclusion, have the identical rights and responsibilities as U.S.-born citizens.
This situation, however, needs to be addressed honestly.
There is crime sneaking over the border, there are illegal immigrants abusing our tax system and the Hispanic/Latino community needs to speak out as passionately on these issues as they do about the DREAM Act.
For example, Arizona taxpayers pay out $1.3 billion annually to cover the education, health care and incarceration costs of illegal immigrants, and that does not include the cost of burying those individuals who die attempting to cross the border or the exorbitant cost of investigating and determining their identities.
With our economy in the shambles that it's in, I can understand the need to grasp at something, anything that could possibly reduce our deficit. In Los Angeles it is easier for a Hispanic person to find employment because they speak Spanish, which leaves the probability of other minorities finding employment extremely slim. This development has escalated tension and created animosity towards the Hispanic community, and threatens the tenuous peace that is never far from shattering.
There is encouraging diversity, but there is also pandering for votes, and the political powers that be are veering dangerously close to the latter. While it is true that the parents of these students must ultimately be held accountable for placing their children in a percarious situation, threatening to deport students to countries that they don't remember, to a way of life they have never known, is unnecessarily cruel.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and African-Americans must rally around this issue as well. We, as a people, have also faced persecution and marginalization in this country after being brought here illegally, and Malcolm X's words on April 3, 1964 in his legendary speech "Ballot or the Bullet" still hold true today.
Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American. Why, if birth made you American, you wouldn't need any legislation; you wouldn't need any amendments to the Constitution; you wouldn't be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now.
As Dreamers take to the streets chanting and crying, threatening continued sit-ins and hunger strikes, the failure of the DREAM Act has forced us once again to re-examine our core values. It is also forcing us to re-define what exactly "Home of the Free" means and how much that freedom costs taxpayers.
Comments: (44)
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By: Ali on 12/20/2010 2:33PM
What a misleading article. One would never know from this that merely by applying, illegal aliens would receive a 10-year WORK VISA--and all they need to do is CLAIM to be under 30, to have entered the U.S. before age 16, and to have a GED or diploma. No verification required other than documents that are easily forged, just as we saw with the 1986 amnesty.
As for the comment about how cruel it is to deport this "children" to countries they don't know, well, THEIR PARENTS managed to come to a country they didn't know, the U.S., and to do it ILLEGALLY as well. Furthermore, many of these "Dreamers" remember their countries very well, because they didn't arrive here until they were teenagers and have lived in their home countries for most of their lives.
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By: soundoff on 12/20/2010 9:26PM
I am so glad it did not pass we give them everything from housing,medical,publicaid and the list goes on do they have any shame how people in america feel about them. Mainly the latino population is blanketing our society and they are steady taking over it's becoming horrifing to see this many people we have to adjust to not them adjust to us many are filled with hate for them to be the aliens here start deporting them now and their babies they have who cares if they do not know their country of orgin make them know it 12 million and counting undocumented people that's enough man power to take their country back and over throw the cartel my god stop making these peasent a@@ people our problem they do not add to our society. I watched a mexican man at the currency exchange send 2500 dollars to mexico maybe to get more of his family here we are full go sneek over in paris,europe, china anywhere but here Iam tired of looking at them and their overcrowdind of just about everything they touch and they want rights of american citizens the congress did the right thing deport make any child they had after 94 national and deport them to let mexico take care of their people.
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By: Lila on 12/20/2010 1:03PM
" Threatening to deport students to countries that they don't remember, though, to a way of life they have never known is unnecessarily cruel."
Unfortunately, the fault lies with the parents of these students. It is neither the responsibility nor the duty of the United States to remedy the situation of these undocumented individuals.
Although I empathize with their circumstances, I care more about the people who wait years and years after applying for citizenship the legal way to try to come into this country. This country is experiencing nearly double digit unemployment and it is simply not feasible to grant what I consider to be amnesty to millions of people. The border has to be secured first. If the Dream Act had passed without the border being secured, more people would try to cross the border illegally hoping that one day they would be able to reap the same benefits. The US simply cannot absorb all of the people in the world who want to come here. The process of immigration has to be legal and orderly. We have to show the world that we want our laws followed and respected. This is not cruelty because it makes the process fair and just to all of those who want to become US citizens.
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By: Brady on 12/20/2010 2:04PM
Thank God for Republicans, on this issue they are right. The pathetic part of this is, this bill failed not because black folk did one damn thing to stop it, but because white conservatives stopped it! THATS RIGHT, WHITE CONSERVATIVES!!!!
In fact your so called black leaders, elected officials and the Presdient, were going to sell your azz out. Even this article barley scratches the surface of the harmful effects upon us.
Ms Savali i beleive resides in LA, so she knows, what has and is happening, and says nothing. The cost is just the tip of the ice berg.
These illegal’s overwhelm anything in which they come in contact. The numbers are crushing on social services, employment, health care, education, communities etc…
It is particularly harmful to low to moderate income A/Americans because in and around Black Communities is where they tend to congregate and eventually push out or severly reduce the black population. Just check the last two census reports. Thats just the truth.
The President and the Democrates are wrong,and If you plantation Negroes continue to follow and worship this cat, and remain loyal docile ass plantation residents, then WE GET JUST WHAT WE DESERVE!!!!!!!!
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By: jeromequigley on 12/20/2010 3:26PM
All Very Good points Brady!! Just a couple of other points that seem to be excluded from the front line concerns of most average peepz... 1) that once able the peepz who come through on the "dream act", would be able to sponsor others for citizenship. Most are very worried, and rightfully so, that they will start sponsoring every family memeber they know. I say include that into the bill that if brought through under the "dream act" that they can not sponsor others, simple if you ask me! 2) however is much bigger. As much as some writers on BV and other web sites like to compare unemployement of white's vs blacks (Dr Watkins is who is always laying this BS down). However they never bother to tell any one that while americans are losing jobs(at what ever rate you want to seperate americans in), illegal workers were gaining jobs at about the same rate!!! So while some writers try to pit blacks against white's and say "hey their not as jobless as you guys". The illegals job rate is increasing! So what makes you madder/more important, that white's unemployement rate is not as high as blacks...or that illegals rate of employment went UP while the rest of the country is losing jobs??? I know which one I am madder about!!!!
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By: bob on 12/20/2010 3:54PM
brady and quigle..... BRAVO!!!!!
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By: Brady on 12/20/2010 4:58PM
@jeromequigley
Yeah man, you and Senator Sessions are correct, this is chain immigration and anmesty rapped up in a social bill.
A black man breaks the law, and he goes to jail, an illegal gets free in-state college tuition, free medical care, sanctuary cities etc. They fraud the system, and drain resources. ALL ENCOURGED AND SUPPORTED BY DEMOCRATES.
All I can say is (on this issue) thank God for Senator Sessions and the Republicans.
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By: kbroome1969 on 12/22/2010 11:29AM
excuse me.. but wasnt it Reagan that gave all those millions a free pass when he was president...and he was what.... a republican...
i do agree that this shouldnt have been passed...
the people in this country just will not do something about the people that come here...
dont get me wrong..there is nothing wrong with wanting a better life.. but do it as many before.. and the many now waiting in line to do it the legal way....but these people think they have that right... and come here from all over and on a visa and crap and disappear into country somewhere.... other countries are taking a stand on illegals i dont see what the people in gov.. are waiting for... get a backbone... because soon... and i do mean... soon they will out number the reg pop... and then what... not until it get so out of control that they totally cant handle it.. and that day is fast coming.. they will try to solve it....
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By: Tired of Poor ME attitude on 12/20/2010 10:46PM
Why give these people ANYTHING? They are here illegally. It would be like a family that camped out on your yard without permission, asking to use the bathroom and cook in your kitchen. If you say no then you are racist. I just don't want someone in my yard without my permission.
They are ILLEGAL plain and simple.
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By: kirok on 12/20/2010 3:36PM
Another misinformed negro. Let's just start off by saying that I'll agree with your point on the illegal Hispanics in our country. Where I must correct you is that obviously unbenounced to you, Africans were sold into slavery by guess who???? Other Africans. So before you go ranting about the opression of the Black man, get your facts straight. If it wasn't for your fellow Africans selling their own people into slavery, you wouldn't be chirping like you are. On top of that, if you don't like where you live my friend take your behind back to your motherland(Africa) and see what kind of lifestyle you can muster. Your typical in that you think that everything is owed to you and it's because you have been oppressed by the White man. That crutch has been used so much, the damn thing is broke. So suck it up Sally. Enough said.
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