I feel as if passing this bill would have been beneficial. I don't think the children of illegal immigrants should be punished in any way for their presence in the U.S. It was not by choice that they ended up here. I think by allowing them a citizenship if they complete 2 years of higher education or serve in the military is a very good idea. This allows these children to be motivated. If they want a U.S. citizenship they will work for it. Getting an education is key to being successful as an individual person and as a whole country. We also need more patriotic soldiers in the military and I feel as if this is a great way of accomplishing just that. These kids have grown up in the U.S. and feel just as American as any of us. Why not let them get citizenships if they deserve them?
I don't know if this bill is flawless in outlining the future for giving citizenship to illegal immigrants. But, I do think it lays out a very favorable idea that will definitely be reflected again in proposing certain "United States"-ish requirements for attaining citizenship. For example, the idea of service in the U.S. military is a very patriotic cause and really embraces the concept of being part of the United States.
One of the things that leaves me a bit iffy is that the bill states kids will attain conditional legal status with a "good moral character." It's a very opinionated aspect of the bill; if, in the actual bill, such requirement is more clearly explained, fine. But if not, there is, without a doubt, enough room to bring the bill into at least light questioning.
I think that a bill with a similar idea, not necessarily similar requirements, may be ratified sooner or later. But then, on the contrary, I also feel as if becoming an immigrant by such means is not necessarily a legitimate method and may forever stir controversy. Maybe after a bit more evaluating and foreseeing into not only the near, but also far, future Congress can introduce another bill.
Margaux has a good point in that kids do not really have much choice in coming to the United States.
This actually kind of reminds me when I was in... 8th grade? when the Korean government enforced that minors (with both Korean and US citizenships) who gave up their Korean citizenship would essentially be erased from their family line and face disadvantages while living/working in Korea as an adult. It gets really complicated from here but the aim of the government was to enforce that it didn't want Koreans to immigrate to the States to simply give birth and have their kids attain US citizenship. Of course, it was a huge blow to a lot of the students at international schools, including me, who had US citizenships because their parents were, at the time, working or being educated in the States.
It would have helped if the government set to put some restrictions on the parents rather than attempt to dictate the kids', who had absolutely no choice, future as either a citizen of Korea or the US. Likewise, in such a bill like this, maybe there could have been a way to bring the parents into the equation? It seems a little hard to think of a way on the spot, but surely there is a way that can be explored in future bills.
I can’t decide if I'm for or against this bill. I’m all for letting the kids of illegal immigrants to have a chance at citizenship. They were forced to come to America and leave their family in their hometowns. and they most likely have also made new friends in America and lived here long enough to recognize America as their home and sending them home after a long time of being in America would be very, for lack of a better word, mean.
Giving children of illegal immigrants the chance to become citizens if they go to college is a good idea, I believe, because then they will probably not get involved in crime or in stereotypical jobs of illegal immigrants, but also saying "join the army and become a citizen!” I think, isn't very good. I mean yes if they join the army they should be allowed to become citizens but I think the incentive for joining the army should be that you want to serve your country, not become a citizen if you join the army. It’s like a bribe for the immigrant children because not enough people are joining the army already.
I agree with charlie when he says it is a bit of a bribe. Actually, it's a pretty big bribe and very tempting for illegal children. Their incentive for joining the army may not be as pure as we may think.
I think this Dream Act is a brilliant chance for children, who got off to a bad start as illegal immigrants because of their parents, to start over and really live a successful life as an American. Although I really dislike the part of the act that requires alien immigrants to serve in the military, I love that education is also the key to citizenship for these immigrants. If this bill was passed, imagine all the alien immigrants that would have to go into the military with the war in Iraq going on now. There is a chance that a handful of those immigrants could lose their lives. And then whats the point of their coming to America? To die for a pointless war? Or to die for a "land of opportunity" that did nothing for them? The Dream Act is explained in the article and in order to be granted citizenship, the immigrant must have "a good moral character." This is in quotes in the article, which I think mocks this component of the bill. I don't know who exactly would be judging this immigrant's "moral character," but I'm sure it would be someone who probably has no idea how to judge that person's moral character, and it would not be easy to decide on this character in one interview. Well, I do feel that there are some flaws in this bill and if we are currently trying so hard to keep illegal immigration down but it is not working, I don't see why alien immigrants would stop coming in to America even after a bill is passed.
I do feel torn about this bill because in my AP Environmental Science class we are discussing the negative effects of world population, and I learned that the percentage of illegal immigrants must go down something like 70% to help our exponentially growing population go down. Also, my mom's best friend is an immigration lawyer and I worked with her two years ago. I sat in on an interview with this amazingly nice woman who had a loving husband and a child and she was a hard worker and an honest person. I guess I could tell she had "moral character." And I watched her receive her green card! It was such an amazing experience. So on one hand, I want to see those people striving to live a better life here in America to get their chance with something like this Dream Act. But I don't know if it would have been too affective, and the amount of illegal immigrants in America must go down soon.
I agree with Yoonkee. I think this bill should be revised and maybe changed up, with different requirements. Hopefully then this bill would be passed. The thought of people who start their lives out badly and have that burning desire to change it and live well really is uplifting. If we can make America the "land of opportunity" for these illegal immigrants who want to be citizens, I am all for it, although I feel like it's a very difficult process and too far of a stretch.
I believe that this bill should have passed. by serving in the army or recieving a higher education, the children of illegal immigrants not only deserve citizenship but also largely contribute to our country. i believe it is unfair to punish these children as if immigrating illegaly was their choice, and as was said in the article, if we did punish them we would be practicing a sort of "bigotry".
I agree with charlie in the respect that letting the illegal immigrant children become citizens by participating in the army is a sort of bribery. they must serve a country theyre not even legally attached to in order to "earn" their citizenship, not to serve the country out of morals and choice.
I beleive that it graduating from high school and having no criminal records is a great incentive for immigrants. On the other hand, if they made some mistakes, they would not be qualified for citizenship, which would leave them on the streets again and would cause more problems. And on the third hand, if good behavior only eased the citizenship process, then criminal records would still be writen up.
In the last paragraph, I liked the point about how after high school, the immigrants might be more useful in the workforce than in the army. It would benefit them much more if they were making money though and would prevent crime as a method to get money.
The population in America is increasing a lot due to immigration which could lead to an overcompetitive work force. This might sounds really bad, but couldn't the immigrants immigrate somewhere else? Europe is cool. I want to live there.
There are clearly pros and cons to the Dream Act, and I think that certain aspects of the it could have been very beneficial. Children of illegal immigrants did not choose to move to America, and shouldn't be punished for their parents' decisions, and should be granted citizensip. I think that offering citizenship in exchange for 2 years of higher education would greatly benefit these children. Not only would they become citizens, but they would also become educated member of society, and would probably have a smaller chance of getting into gangs and violence. However, I strongly disagree with the option of joining the army in exchange for citizenship. I find it immoral that the U.S. would create an incentive that would risk people's lives. People should only join the army to fight for something they believe in, not to gain citizenship.
Amanda makes a good point when she says that the would contribute to our increasing population. If people realize that their children can easily attain citizenship if they immigrate illegally, they will have a greater incentive to move to the U.S. Although it's difficult to deny people entry to the U.S., our growing population is clearly a significant problem. Although the Dream Act would help a lot of kids get equal opportunitites, it may be harmful overall.
13 comments:
I feel as if passing this bill would have been beneficial. I don't think the children of illegal immigrants should be punished in any way for their presence in the U.S. It was not by choice that they ended up here. I think by allowing them a citizenship if they complete 2 years of higher education or serve in the military is a very good idea. This allows these children to be motivated. If they want a U.S. citizenship they will work for it. Getting an education is key to being successful as an individual person and as a whole country. We also need more patriotic soldiers in the military and I feel as if this is a great way of accomplishing just that. These kids have grown up in the U.S. and feel just as American as any of us. Why not let them get citizenships if they deserve them?
I don't know if this bill is flawless in outlining the future for giving citizenship to illegal immigrants. But, I do think it lays out a very favorable idea that will definitely be reflected again in proposing certain "United States"-ish requirements for attaining citizenship. For example, the idea of service in the U.S. military is a very patriotic cause and really embraces the concept of being part of the United States.
One of the things that leaves me a bit iffy is that the bill states kids will attain conditional legal status with a "good moral character." It's a very opinionated aspect of the bill; if, in the actual bill, such requirement is more clearly explained, fine. But if not, there is, without a doubt, enough room to bring the bill into at least light questioning.
I think that a bill with a similar idea, not necessarily similar requirements, may be ratified sooner or later. But then, on the contrary, I also feel as if becoming an immigrant by such means is not necessarily a legitimate method and may forever stir controversy. Maybe after a bit more evaluating and foreseeing into not only the near, but also far, future Congress can introduce another bill.
Margaux has a good point in that kids do not really have much choice in coming to the United States.
This actually kind of reminds me when I was in... 8th grade? when the Korean government enforced that minors (with both Korean and US citizenships) who gave up their Korean citizenship would essentially be erased from their family line and face disadvantages while living/working in Korea as an adult. It gets really complicated from here but the aim of the government was to enforce that it didn't want Koreans to immigrate to the States to simply give birth and have their kids attain US citizenship. Of course, it was a huge blow to a lot of the students at international schools, including me, who had US citizenships because their parents were, at the time, working or being educated in the States.
It would have helped if the government set to put some restrictions on the parents rather than attempt to dictate the kids', who had absolutely no choice, future as either a citizen of Korea or the US. Likewise, in such a bill like this, maybe there could have been a way to bring the parents into the equation? It seems a little hard to think of a way on the spot, but surely there is a way that can be explored in future bills.
I can’t decide if I'm for or against this bill. I’m all for letting the kids of illegal immigrants to have a chance at citizenship. They were forced to come to America and leave their family in their hometowns. and they most likely have also made new friends in America and lived here long enough to recognize America as their home and sending them home after a long time of being in America would be very, for lack of a better word, mean.
Giving children of illegal immigrants the chance to become citizens if they go to college is a good idea, I believe, because then they will probably not get involved in crime or in stereotypical jobs of illegal immigrants, but also saying "join the army and become a citizen!” I think, isn't very good. I mean yes if they join the army they should be allowed to become citizens but I think the incentive for joining the army should be that you want to serve your country, not become a citizen if you join the army. It’s like a bribe for the immigrant children because not enough people are joining the army already.
I agree with charlie when he says it is a bit of a bribe. Actually, it's a pretty big bribe and very tempting for illegal children. Their incentive for joining the army may not be as pure as we may think.
I think this Dream Act is a brilliant chance for children, who got off to a bad start as illegal immigrants because of their parents, to start over and really live a successful life as an American. Although I really dislike the part of the act that requires alien immigrants to serve in the military, I love that education is also the key to citizenship for these immigrants. If this bill was passed, imagine all the alien immigrants that would have to go into the military with the war in Iraq going on now. There is a chance that a handful of those immigrants could lose their lives. And then whats the point of their coming to America? To die for a pointless war? Or to die for a "land of opportunity" that did nothing for them? The Dream Act is explained in the article and in order to be granted citizenship, the immigrant must have "a good moral character." This is in quotes in the article, which I think mocks this component of the bill. I don't know who exactly would be judging this immigrant's "moral character," but I'm sure it would be someone who probably has no idea how to judge that person's moral character, and it would not be easy to decide on this character in one interview. Well, I do feel that there are some flaws in this bill and if we are currently trying so hard to keep illegal immigration down but it is not working, I don't see why alien immigrants would stop coming in to America even after a bill is passed.
I do feel torn about this bill because in my AP Environmental Science class we are discussing the negative effects of world population, and I learned that the percentage of illegal immigrants must go down something like 70% to help our exponentially growing population go down. Also, my mom's best friend is an immigration lawyer and I worked with her two years ago. I sat in on an interview with this amazingly nice woman who had a loving husband and a child and she was a hard worker and an honest person. I guess I could tell she had "moral character." And I watched her receive her green card! It was such an amazing experience. So on one hand, I want to see those people striving to live a better life here in America to get their chance with something like this Dream Act. But I don't know if it would have been too affective, and the amount of illegal immigrants in America must go down soon.
I agree with Yoonkee. I think this bill should be revised and maybe changed up, with different requirements. Hopefully then this bill would be passed. The thought of people who start their lives out badly and have that burning desire to change it and live well really is uplifting. If we can make America the "land of opportunity" for these illegal immigrants who want to be citizens, I am all for it, although I feel like it's a very difficult process and too far of a stretch.
I believe that this bill should have passed. by serving in the army or recieving a higher education, the children of illegal immigrants not only deserve citizenship but also largely contribute to our country. i believe it is unfair to punish these children as if immigrating illegaly was their choice, and as was said in the article, if we did punish them we would be practicing a sort of "bigotry".
I agree with charlie in the respect that letting the illegal immigrant children become citizens by participating in the army is a sort of bribery. they must serve a country theyre not even legally attached to in order to "earn" their citizenship, not to serve the country out of morals and choice.
I beleive that it graduating from high school and having no criminal records is a great incentive for immigrants. On the other hand, if they made some mistakes, they would not be qualified for citizenship, which would leave them on the streets again and would cause more problems. And on the third hand, if good behavior only eased the citizenship process, then criminal records would still be writen up.
In the last paragraph, I liked the point about how after high school, the immigrants might be more useful in the workforce than in the army. It would benefit them much more if they were making money though and would prevent crime as a method to get money.
The population in America is increasing a lot due to immigration which could lead to an overcompetitive work force. This might sounds really bad, but couldn't the immigrants immigrate somewhere else? Europe is cool. I want to live there.
Paulina
There are clearly pros and cons to the Dream Act, and I think that certain aspects of the it could have been very beneficial. Children of illegal immigrants did not choose to move to America, and shouldn't be punished for their parents' decisions, and should be granted citizensip. I think that offering citizenship in exchange for 2 years of higher education would greatly benefit these children. Not only would they become citizens, but they would also become educated member of society, and would probably have a smaller chance of getting into gangs and violence. However, I strongly disagree with the option of joining the army in exchange for citizenship. I find it immoral that the U.S. would create an incentive that would risk people's lives. People should only join the army to fight for something they believe in, not to gain citizenship.
-Candace
Amanda makes a good point when she says that the would contribute to our increasing population. If people realize that their children can easily attain citizenship if they immigrate illegally, they will have a greater incentive to move to the U.S. Although it's difficult to deny people entry to the U.S., our growing population is clearly a significant problem. Although the Dream Act would help a lot of kids get equal opportunitites, it may be harmful overall.
-Candace
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