What Are We Teaching Our Children?

As you can see on the news, and in the presidential debates. Some candidates have a
very clear stand on illegal immigration. Threats of massive deportation if Donald Trump gets
elected, and he is not the only one that is against an immigration reform. There are currently an
estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. Just about 2.1 million of those people
came to this country as children. This group is known as DREAMers, the term comes from
DREAM act. DREAM act is a proposed bill that would allow young adults and children that
meet the criteria to gain permanent residence in the states. I think its time that congress comes
together in agreement and once and for all resolve our broken immigration system. The reason
congress has not passed this bill is the inability for democrats and republicans to see eye to eye.
Meanwhile DREAMers continue to suffer the consequences of their parents choice to move
here. It is time for everyone to see the true value of this group of individuals. Unless more
voters begin to get involved this issue will persist. It is only through voters that we can achieve a
solution to this problem. As you can imagine only a U.S. citizen has the right to vote. While
there are organizations and a strong Latino community that support this cause, we need all the
help we can get.
Illegal immigration is not only an issue that I picked out of concern for those affected, but
also as a person who once walked in their shoes. I have lived in this country for over 2 decades,
for most of time I had no status. I come from a low income family raise by a single parent. As a
child all I ever wanted was to get an education so that I could help my mother, but instead of
thriving I developed a negative image about myself. Through my research I discovered that
anxiety and depression are commonly abundant in young illegal immigrants (Vega/Hutchingson).
I feel that all the derogatory comments from politicians, the media and ordinary citizens play a

big role in diminishing our youths potential. Comments like illegal immigrants are criminals
are not only inaccurate, but also emotionally harmful to a young childs mind. Its no wonder
these people live in the dark. I remember not ever wanting to share my secret. Not because I
was afraid of being caught, but because I was really ashamed. I lived with this shame for years.
It wasnt until I was granted DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) that I finally felt
free to talk about it. DACA was a small step in the right direction, but nowhere near a
DREAMers desired outcome.
All of those who oppose an immigration reform and demand deportation for all unlawful
residents believe that; Illegal immigrants are invading the country, criminality is ample in
immigrant abundant communities, and that they also negatively impact the economy.
Throughout my research I was able to find multiple reliable sources that confirmed what I
already knew. There are more individuals leaving the country than crossing the border illegally.
Chavez claims that immigration has significantly decreased since the 1900s. In addition, Stuart
Anderson executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy clearly states.
National studies have reached the conclusion that foreign-born (both legal and illegal
immigrants) are less likely to commit crimes than native-born. It is no coincidence in the last
decade crime has decreased by 20% in states that have a high concentration of immigrants
(Anderson). Furthermore, the economy would have a devastating effected if massive deportation
took place. There would be a significant decrease in revenues for sales, property, income, and
payroll taxes, not to mention all the vacant homes (Chavez).
For this project my intentions were convince the skeptics, by showing them a life through
a DREAMers perspective. I believe that if more people got a chance to get to know someone in
this situation, they would become more supportive of this cause. We need to elected government

representatives that are willing to compromise to fix the broken pieces of the current immigration
system. Donald Trump believes that building a bigger wall and deportation is the right solution.
In my opinion a wall is a waste of resources that we can use elsewhere. Its time to place our
focus on the people that are already here. The ones that have nowhere else to go, because this
country is their home.

Works Cited

Anderson, Stuart. "It Is a Myth That Illegal Immigration Leads to Higher Crime Rates." Illegal
Immigration. Ed. Nol Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies.
Rpt. from "Immigrants and Crime: Perception vs. Reality." Immigration Reform Bulletin.
2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
Artze-Vega, Isis, and Glenn Hutchinson. "Small Step Forward Yet Uncertain Future For The
Dreamers." Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education 23.2 (2012): 26. MasterFILE
Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
Chavez, Linda. "Hispanic Panic: The GOP Has Gone Off The Rails On Immigration Issues."
Commentary 5 (2012): 20. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.