The DREAM Act was a legislative proposal in 2001 that intended to give more social benefits to immigrants who had proved to be of good moral standing. The Act drew criticism and praise in equal measures among the citizens of the United States. The DREAM Act would be a significant step towards achieving the American Dream of social equity.
Indeed, it was the desire of the founding fathers of the United States that the country would have the most tolerable society in the world. Though written centuries ago, some of the ideals regarding social equity have never been taken seriously.
By implementing the issues contained in the DREAM Act, Americans would be passing a strong message to the world that the equality of God’s creation still holds (Zerk, 24).
The immigrants, if given adequate education, will develop the requisite skills that would enable them to work in the United States industries. In return, they will earn high incomes that will enable them to invest and therefore contribute to the economic development of the country.
It has previously been noted that certain careers like health and engineering would not have developed in America were it not for immigrants, most of who came as foreign students. Thus, trying to thwart the human development of immigrants effectively hinders economic development of the United States.
According to a study conducted by the “North American Integration and Development Center”, the implementation of the DREAM Act would imply a return to the American ideals of social. In addition, it will ensure a brighter future for America because some of the immigrants facing deportation are polished intellectuals with great potentials in business and science.
In this competitive era when China seems to be closing in on the United States, it is important that the US retains every human power within its reach. The country needs innovative minds of youthful Americans and the immigrants in order to put its acts in order and mount a strong economic challenge against China and its allies. This fact underscores why American cannot ignore their immigrant youths (Porter, page 90).
The legislation will encourage young people to take up positions in the Army and eventually help to create a strong military command. According to the available literature, the Act allows immigrants who have served in the army to be given residential permit.
Most youths would readily serve in the army if that is all it takes to stay and work in the United States. Essentially, the Defense Department views the legislation as a significant boost to their pool of potential recruits into the Army. In addition, the law will allow immigration officials to focus on the real threat at the border points instead of harassing young people who are peacefully pursuing their education.
Currently, the officials spend better part of their time looking for young aliens who really pose no security threat to the county. Instead, they lose focus of the hardcore terrorists who are always waiting to strike. According to Secretary Napolitano, such a step will introduce a fair and firm system for innocent aliens in the United States.
Nonetheless, it should not be a blanket amnesty because terrorists can use the same students to strike on America at a time when everything thinks that they are harmful. This is why the law should only apply to those who do not have criminal records (Streeten, 235).
It is a social responsibility of the American citizens to take care of their people. It would be unduly harsh to turn around at some point and talk ill about some people because they do not belong to your country.
Indeed, it will smack of an era that Americans have long escaped, at which people were given respect based on their families or the colors on their skins. It was a painful era that no one thinks of ever going back to.
Thus, passing such a law would not only cast a positive image about the country, but will also show the world that America has always been committed to the ideals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although opponents have always argued that the legislation will give aliens a chance to grab lucrative jobs from the American people, this has never been true.
In fact, there is currently a deficit in potential employees while unemployment rates have significantly increased in America during the Obama administration. This is because the opportunities that exist require professional skills that the country can only solicit from outside the country.
However, they would not have to incur the higher cost of hiring foreign experts if they allowed aliens with proficient knowledge in these areas to learn and work in the United States. It is the reason why America has no option, but to give young immigrants all the social benefits that it accords to its citizens (Davies and Quinlivan, 868).
In conclusion, the decision to implement some ideas that were contained in the DREAM Act will have far reaching impacts on the US. For example, it would enable the country to hire foreign experts at a low rate by choosing to retain young immigrants in the county. In addition, it will give young people a good reason to join the Army and help in protecting the territorial integrity of the country.
Works Cited
Davies, A.; Quinlivan, G. “A Panel Data Analysis of the Impact of Trade on Human Development”. Journal of Socio-Economics, 2006. Print.
Porter, M. E. Clusters. The New Economics of Competition. Harvard Business Review, 1998. Print.
Streeten, Paul. “Human Development: Means and Ends”. Human Development, 1994. Print.
Zerk, Jennifer A. Multinationals and Corporate Social Responsibility: Limitations and Opportunities in International Law. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.