Next month, the country's educational community will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Plyler vs. Doe. In Plyer vs. Doe, the high court ruled in June 1982 that it was against the law to prohibit primary and secondary education to an undocumented student. Although the decision has stood for nearly 30 years, attaining higher education for undocumented high school graduates has been, for most, a long, distant dream -- a nightmare, even.
Too often, politics has often gotten in the way of common-sense policy. In 2001, a bi-partisan effort led by, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), resulted in the introduction of the Development Relief for Alien Minors Act, or the DREAM Act. This legislation, which many had hopes of passing, came to a screeching halt after the September 11th attacks. Since then, officials like Kris Kobach (the Kansas secretary of state who's a key architect S.B. 1070, Arizona's immigration bill) have used fear tactics to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. A climate of hate, under the pretense that immigrants are criminals, have defined the immigration narrative, especially within the extreme wing of the Republican Party. When the DREAM Act came up for a vote in 2010, it was a Republican filibuster and five Democrats that altogether deferred the dreams of thousands of immigrant youth. Across the country, students who were raised as Americans -- who attend public high schools, who seek to become full-fledged, contributing citizens of the country they call home -- live in limbo.
As we mark the Supreme Court's decision on Plyler vs. Doe, it's fitting that the DREAM Act and access to higher education are again at the forefront of the contentious conversation on immigration reform. Conveniently enough, the attention also comes in an election year, when both parties seek the Latino vote, which will prove critical, particularly in swing states.
For two years, the GOP has either been silent or shown great apathy on the issue. When asked about the DREAM Act during the Republican primaries, Gov. Mitt Romney said, "If Congress was to pass the DREAM Act, I would veto it." But a few weeks ago, surprisingly, the silence and apathy was broken by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Rubio picked up the flag left behind in the battle field after the DREAM Act vote and began talking once again about education and immigrant youth -- and a path to legalization for them.
United We Dream, the largest national organization of undocumented youth, has not dismissed Rubio's attempt just yet. We are eager to learn the details of his upcoming bill. As the people who are directly impacted by this issue, we appreciate the senator's interest to listen to our stories; we are thankful for being asked for our ideas on what the legislation will say, and are glad to see the Senator reaching out to our long time champion on this issue, Senator Durbin. To some, this outreach may seem like nothing more than a political calculation for a man who has higher ambitions. Rubio's name, after all, has continually topped Romney's vice-presidential wish-list. But it cannot be overstated that Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a first-generation American, understands that the Latino population cares deeply about this issue. He also understands that the country as a whole wants to find a solution to this problem.
Immigrant youth are not beholden to one party. We've mobilized, organized and negotiated with both parties. With many risks, we've created our own stage. Now that we have the public's attention, we are challenging Republicans and Democrats and President Barack Obama. Four years ago, under the banner of hope and change, he promised to take on immigration reform during his first term. Though the Department of Homeland Security has offered some failed attempts of relief, through prosecutorial discretion, the Obama administration has also deported the highest number of immigrants in the history of the United States. But Obama can also execute the power he holds in his hand -- the power to stop the deportation of immigrant youth and grant them temporary relief, while Congress addresses the issue in a more complete and lasting way. After all, the Obama administration has increasingly been using execute power under the slogan "We Can't Wait". We will continue to push for the President to take action.
Sitting through my American history honors and AP classes, and learning the basis and foundation of this country, I've learned that the road to justice, though arduous, is one that America has always found. Immigrant youth like myself fervently ask for an opportunity to adjust our undocumented status so that we could then serve and participate fully in our communities. I graduated college in 2005; since I haven't been able to work because I don't have papers, I went back to school and earned two other degrees, one of which is in special education. I love children. My deepest desire is to one day be in a classroom teaching elementary-school children with down-syndrome and autism that they too have a voice -- that they, too, matter in this country.
We are hopeful that the gap between feeling American and becoming one on paper soon becomes a reality. In the mean time, trendsetters and pioneers of education in this country, like Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President of Miami Dade College, understand the importance of ensuring that immigrant youth, who are part of the fabric of this nation, have an opportunity to receive an education. Currently there are 14 in-state tuition laws that allow undocumented student to attend college. Miami Dade College, who has opened the doors to countless undocumented student in Florida, believes that "Opportunity Changes Everything." So do I.
This article originally appeared on LatinaLista.com.
Follow Gaby Pacheco on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@gabypacheco1
Good for you. Now you may go back to your country and make the most and best of it by helping in the development of that country. You have American degrees and I assume you are bilingual, so you would have a bright future over there. Then you may try to come back to the U.S. LEGALLY. But in the meantime, you are breaking our laws.
Gaby, why don't you go and yell at your family for bringing you here illegally ? If your parents were ok with you living in the shadows, then so am I.
Why would any sane person agree to another compromise after being lied to about the first one?
It is also absurd to think that a person who only lived in the US for four years does not know their home country and thus cannot be deported since they would not know it or have ties to it. I fail to see why any liberal or progressive would support the provision to help employers keep wages down.
I resent the way that some good kids who have been here almost all of their lives are being USED as pawns for those who do not deserve anything other than deportation. Just as you try and lump all immigrants together, legal and illegal, to try and get amnesty for criminals. That simply screws over the deserving in the interest of a mass amnesty so that employers can get more cheap labor. NO Progressive could possibly be in favor of that kind of thing.
If you really want a DREAM Act, it will have to actually serve those who came here and spent 12 years as shown by attendance in certified school records. They would have to have graduated with a diploma, NO GEDs. That should cut down on drop outs. Persons with advanced degrees should get some consideration on a case by case basis and treated as new applicants for admission to the US. The DREAM Act should actually help ONLY the best and brightest, not the gang bangers with criminal records.
Of course. Amnesties are always designed to be fraud magnets. Supposed background checks are just window dressing to get the thing passed. Even when there is not outright fraud, loopholes will be exploited so that way more people than proponents are letting on will receive amnesty. It's not good-faith legislation but part of a broader unlimited immigration agenda. Notice there is NOTHING in the "Dream Act" to prevent the situation from happening in the future. That's pretty much all you need to know.