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Dream Act NOW!

by President Patricia McGuire, Trinity Washington University

“Dreamers” get their name from the Dream Act legislation first introduced in Congress in 2001 to provide a pathway to legal status for persons who came to the United States as children.

Let’s call her Felicia. The storyteller might be different, but the story is almost always the same in its broad outline.  Each time I read the story I am haunted by the thought of the millions of other young people whose potential it represents. In the application essays of my students at Trinity Washington University, the story goes like this:

Felicia grew up from infancy in these United States, as American as any child in her classrooms — laughing with classmates, eager for parties, trying out for teams, dreaming big dreams for her future.  Then, one day, a fearsome reality confronts her.  It might have been junior or senior year of high school, a time when most American teens are visiting college campuses and thinking about which collegiate name will adorn their sweatshirts.  A guidance counselor talked to her about “filling out the FAFSA” form to get federal financial aid to go to college.  Felicia raced home eager to fill out the form, only to find her sad-eyed parents steeling themselves for “the talk” — the talk for undocumented young people, the talk that explained to her that she is not a citizen of the United States, that her parents came here years ago when she was an infant, and their visas ran out but they just stayed on.  Some of the stories may be of a night escape through the desert and across the river, a perilous journey with a baby in a knapsack.  She was too young to remember the fear and the danger; she did not know her status until the moment when she learned the hard truth that she has no legal papers and might not be able to go to college

Fortunately for Felicia, some amazing benefactors banded together in 2014 to create TheDream.US to provide college scholarships for undocumented youth.  But the roughly 6,000 recipients of TheDream.US scholarships are a small slice of the more than 3 million “Dreamers” in the U.S. Of that number, about 430,000 attend college largely in states that permit them to attend public institutions at in-state rates.  A few states completely bar undocumented students from attending state colleges.

“Dreamers” get their name from the Dream Act legislation first introduced in Congress in 2001 to provide a pathway to legal status for persons who came to the United States as children.  The most recent version of the legislation is the Dream Act of 2021 (introduced in the Senate, with a parallel version introduced in the House), a bipartisan initiative that would give Dreamers pathways to permanent residency and citizenship.

Enacting a permanent solution for Dreamers is an urgent human rights issue, but also in the best interests of the United States economically and socially.  Despite obstacles, some Dreamers have already earned advanced degrees, entered professions and are on the front lines of medicine, science and social services addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. Dreamers pay billions in federal and state taxes, and they contribute billions to their local economies.

Enacting a permanent solution for Dreamers is an urgent human rights issue, but also in the best interests of the United States economically and socially

Shorter-term solutions have been important, but not permanent.  In 2012, frustrated by the repeated failure of Congress to enact the Dream Act, President Barack Obama issued a policy memorandum establishing DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) that provided some legal protection for undocumented young people.  Unfortunately, President Donald Trump rescinded DACA, throwing the program into years of doubt even though courts up to an including the Supreme Court overturned or blocked the Trump effort to end DACA.  President Joe Biden issued a new DACA memorandum upon taking office in January 2021, but the future of Dreamers must be secured in permanent legislation.

Enacting the 2021 Dream Act will end the stigma, fear and dashed dreams of young people like Felicia who have so much potential. Among other benefits, the law will open up more opportunities for Dreamers to enroll in college and complete the degrees that are essential for many professions today. Supporting such talent will enrich our nation’s productivity while also ensuring economic security for Dreamer families and greater stability for their communities. Congress must pass the Dream Act as quickly as possible!

 

Patricia McGuire has been president of Trinity since 1989.  Previously, she was the assistant dean for development and external affairs at Georgetown University Law Center where she was also an adjunct professor of law.  She began her career after law school as the project director for the Street Law clinical program at Georgetown.  President McGuire serves on a number of boards including the Consortium of Universities, Cafritz Foundation, Catholic Charities DC, and the Ameritas Holding Company.  She has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, and has received recognition in the Washington Post, Washingtonian magazine, Washington Business Journal, and other media outlets.

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