The Dream Act

The DREAM Act

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, otherwise known as the DREAM Act, was established in 2001 by Senator Richard Durbin and Senator Orrin Hatch (Batalova, 2010). Like many acts that have been introduced, the DREAM Act has faced much scrutiny and has been the topic of several debates for over a decade, and it has been argued about whether or not the DREAM Act is an attempt at amnesty for the individuals involved. With the government’s policies on immigration and border control, it is not uncommon for the United States government to doubt the benefits of this act. A major concern of many political officials is the fact that these people have been living in the United States as illegal citizens. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the DREAM Act and illustrate its influence and role in society, who it impacts, the media, education, the economy, and the military. Through this analysis, we will answer how the DREAM act impacts transnational communities and addresses border issues in the United States. Although the DREAM Act has not officially been passed, it is important to recognize that many states have adopted similar policies that ensure the non-deportation of law-abiding immigrants who seek a better life.

The DREAM Act is not the first attempt to solve immigration problems. One attempt was supported by the former president Ronald Regan. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 supposedly would “wipe the slate clean”. This and subsequent statutes enabled 6 million foreigners to step out of the shadows in route to citizenship. Now there are 12 million to 15 million illegal aliens in the 50 states. Rather than grant sweeping benefits to hundreds of thousands of individuals, compassionate consideration should be given to individual cases (Grayson, 2012).

It is a known fact that many immigrants were brought to America as children, have grown up here in America, received an education...