The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act is an immigration policy that has been set in place to protect the rights of the children of illegal immigrants that were brought here as children. It grants a temporary “citizenship” to those individuals and guarantees their safety and rights. Recently, it has been under attack by Republicans and those who believe that the children are illegal arrivals just as much as their parents, and there is one simple solution to that issue: make them citizens.
The Dream Act is one that has provided a safe environment and secured the rights of childhood arrivals, and it is arguably one of the most important things that our government has done for immigration laws. Because the children of illegal immigrants were brought without their consent, they technically did not break any laws, and they shouldn’t be treated as if they have. The Dream Act is considered a problem because it rewards illegal immigrants for breaking the law and provides them with the same benefits as a legal immigrant, and even a natural-born citizen, with a few exceptions.
The solution to this controversy is simple, really. The children of illegal immigrants did nothing wrong, it was the actions of their parents that was wrong, and the children should not be punished for it. The simple solution is to make the children of illegal immigrants citizens, regardless of whether or not they were born in the United States. Some may argue that this is not a good solution because they are illegal immigrants just as much as their parents are, but this is simply not true. They were forced to come at a young age, and for many of them, the United States is the only country that they have ever known. Children of legal immigrants and of American citizens are not punished for their parents’ crimes here, so what makes the children of illegals any different?
With this in mind, what are the downsides of giving them citizenship? More law-abiding, taxes-paying citizens to contribute to the economy, their neighborhoods, and their society? Some might argue that allowing the Dreamers to become citizens will attract many more families to bring their own children in hopes that they will become citizens as well, and this may be true, but that can be combated by setting some laws in place, such as age restrictions, having a job or being enrolled in school, and being a law-abiding citizen while illegally staying in the United States. If those laws are implemented, then there can be no room for argument that the Dreamers should be allowed to stay in the only country they know.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act is one that acts as a saving grace for many of the people affected. Not only are children’s lives saved by being able to stay in the country where they were raised, but they are able to do so with no fear of their parents being punished, and are able to grow to contribute to their country. It is an act that should be preserved if not for how they can grow to contribute, then just because we are decent human beings.
Immigration Issues 