The DREAM Act is a potential law that would give kids here illegally under the age of 15 a conditional path to citizenship. Many senators and representatives are against this, even though it was not these people’s choice to be here illegally. They were conducted here by their parents for the sheer want of a better future. According to former president George W. Bush, “Immigration is not a problem to be solved. It is the sign of a confident and successful nation. And people who seek to make America their home should be met in that spirit by representatives of our government. New arrivals should be greeted not with suspicion and resentment, but with openness and courtesy.” This should apply not only for adults who came into America, but especially for their young children as well.

We ostracize students who only want to contribute to our growing country. They are people with hopes and dreams, and yet we snatch those dreams away because of their parents’ decision. By not giving them a fair and quick way to become a citizen, we are injecting the wrong ideas into their heads. In turn, their children will have these same thoughts: that America is in totality racist and self-centered. Future generations should believe that in America, you can pursue your dreams and you can live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Passing the DREAM Act would do this.

The journey of these people has been tough, but once they recognize that there is a problem with their citizenship, their journey will become tougher. Leviticus (19:33-34) states, “The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” As people who were once in their shoes, we should identify with how they feel, and help them become citizens.