Dream Act and Its Implications

DREAM Act and Its Implications for Latinos and Latinas As the United States continues to prosecute its Global War on Terrorism, the issue of illegal immigration continues to pervade the daily news and American consciousness. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the controversy concerning what should be done about illegal immigration has become increasingly charged with emotion and fear, and it is clear that there are no simple solutions.

One viable alternative that may provide undocumented students in the United States with the opportunity to gain legal status is the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act. To determine the implications of this legislation in general and for Latinos and Latinas in particular, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature, followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion College-aged children of illegal aliens or who otherwise find themselves as undocumented students in the United States would stand to gain a great deal from the DREAM Act. For instance, according to Palacios, "The DREAM Act would mark a significant accomplishment in the struggle for civil rights and educational attainment for undocumented students" (p. 2). Moreover, the U.S. armed forces would also stand to gain a cadre of motivated and educated young people that they desperately need.

According to Garcia (2004), many undocumented students are faced with the dual dilemma of being unable to obtain federal financial aid for education and even if they succeed in securing a degree, they are not allowed to work legally in the United States. "The DREAM Act of 2003," Garcia notes, "would address these issues and would permit qualifying immigrant students to apply for their permanent residency (green card) status, which in turn allows them to apply for federal financial aid" (p. 36).

Among the more salient provisions of the legislation, the DREAM Act provides a conditional path to citizenship for undocumented students provided that they entered the country before they became 16 years old and have been in the U.S. For a continuous period of 5 years immediately preceding the date of enactment of the DREAM Act (Palacios, 2010).

In addition, to achieve conditional status under the DREAM Act applicants must have been admitted to either a 2- or 4-year higher educational institution or earned their high school diploma or general education development certificate in the U.S. Assuming these conditions are satisfied, undocumented students who receive their conditional status can have it changed to a permanent status if the earn a degree from a 2- or 4-year higher educational institution or serve in the U.S. military for 2 years and receive an honorable discharge (Palacios, 2010).

The DREAM Act would also provide some educational financial assistance for these undocumented Latino/Latina and Chicano students while they are working towards their permanent status (Palacios, 2010). During a period in America's history when the armed forces are stretched razor-thin, the DREAM Act would appear to be a win-win approach to addressing the controversial status of undocumented students by providing them with a significant inducement gain permanent status through military service.

Clearly, the provisions of the DREAM Act would be of enormous benefit to the tens of thousand of undocumented Latino/Latina and Chicano students already living in the United States as well as the needs of the U.S. armed forces, but the act remains in legislative limbo at this time. Despite some initial hope following the election of President Barack Obama that the legislation would be fast-tracked for approval, particularly given its widespread support among organizations that also supported the new president's campaign (Dervarics, 2008). According to the U.S.

Congress, on May 14, 2009, the proposed legislation was referred to the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness (American Dream Act, 2010). In response to these delays, there have been numerous demonstrations in support of the DREAM Act across the country in recent years.

In this regard, Rincon reports that, "Beginning in Summer 2009, when more than 500 converged in DC for a national Dream Act graduation ceremony, students and their allies have organized a number of activities to build support for the this proposal culminating with the national 'Back to School Day of Action'" (p. 13). Besides the well-attended rally in Washington, D.C.

students across the country have also organized more than a hundred different events in 26 states to show their support of the proposed legislation, including petition drives at educational institutions, workshops, panels, rallies, forums (Rincon, 2010). Conclusion Complex problems typically require complex solutions, and this has been.