The "D.R.E.A.M" Act

"The purpose of the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, also called the DREAM Act, is to help those individuals who meet certain requirements, have an opportunity to enlist in the military or go to college and have a path to citizenship which they otherwise would not have without this legislation. Supporters of the DREAM Act believe it is vital not only to the people who would benefit from it, but also the United States as a whole. It would give an opportunity to undocumented immigrant students who have been living in the U.S. since they were young, a chance to contribute back to the country that has given so much to them and a chance to utilize their hard earned education and talents."

The DREAM is the newest form of education to make headlines. It certainly is a controversial issue since it deals with not only education, but the fragile issue of illegal immigration. I for one, agree with this act. I think it's a great idea because we have already invested with our tax money for these Illegal Aliens to go through our school systems, if they have done a good job then they have a few options. They can go into health care, the military or go to college.

Why not? If these people have worked so hard to get where they are now, then it is more than likely they will become contributing members of our society and economy. Here are some of the requirements if the DREAM act passes:

• Must have entered the United States before the age of 16 (i.e. 15 and younger)
• Must have been present in the United States for at least five (5) consecutive years prior to enactment of the bill
• Must have graduated from a United States high school, or have obtained a GED, or have been accepted into an institution of higher education (i.e. college/university)
• Must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of application
• Must have good moral character

I agree with all of the qualifications. It's not like people will be able to come right over and enter into the DREAM act. They will have to be in the US for an extended amount of time. Another important factor here is good moral character. I think a lot of the time illegal immigrants get painted as bad people. Yes they are doing something illegal, but that does not make them evil or bad people. They often are doing this to help out their families which is how Italian Americans and Irish americans came to our country and state in the first place.

This is not to say I support illegal immigration, because I don't. But this is a way of dealing with an issue. These people have been here for years, gone through our school systems (which we and our parents have payed for) and now they want to go spend money to go to our colleges. I for one, hope that this DREAM comes true.