Critical Thinking Paper

Melina Worthington

3/2/17

Green
 The United States must pass the DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented

immigrant children to pay in-state tuition to colleges and universities. Passing the

DREAM Act would benefit the economy, it would give equal footing to minors who are

looking for a better life, and it would extend the Plyler v Doe case giving undocumented

students the right to a higher education. Passing this Act would not only benefit the

immigrant children but the rest of the United States as well.

Passing the DREAM Act would benefit the economy. It is estimated the the

passage of the DREAM Act would add $329 billion to the U.S. economy and create 1.4

million new jobs by 2030. These immigrants would graduate and join the workforce to

help sustain themselves and their families. They would be paying 5.6 billion dollars in

federal and state income tax by 2030 and 4.6 billion dollars in federal business tax. These

immigrants would be graduating college with degrees in the arts, entrepreneurship, and

STEM. With 31.5 percent of science and engineering graduates being of Latino descent

in 2006, passage of the DREAM Act could add as many as 252,000 new scientists,

engineers, and technical workers. According to the CBO and JCT, the DREAM Act

would also reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the next 10 years, and increase

federal revenues by $1.7 billion over this same time period (Guzman, Jara).

The economic benefits passing this act are pronounced and indisputable. This

would not only help immigrants earn money for themselves and their families, but they

would be contributing to the economy of the United States as well. These immigrants

would be contributing to the well being of all Americans, not just themselves.
 The DREAM Act would give equal footing to minors who are looking for a better

life. These immigrant children did not choose to come to America, they came with their

parents. Most of these American are trying to make a good life for themselves. In the first

person account Amys Story Amy, an undocumented Taiwanese immigrant, tells of her

struggles to make a life for herself in the United States. When Amy is fifteen, she

discovers that California Proposition 187 took away access to public services, including

driver's licenses, from undocumented immigrants. Later, as she struggles to find a job,

her attorney tells her that marrying an American citizen is the easiest way to become

legal in this country. Despite her many challenges, she writes about how despite

everything [her] family has experienced in this country, [she] would not choose to be

anywhere else (Amys Story).

Passing the DREAM Act would give a fair chance to countless undocumented

immigrants like Amy to finish their education, get a job, and live a life free of fear of the

country they live in. A majority of the country supports the DREAM Act as well. The

Center for American Progress found that sixty-six percent of voters support the DREAM

Act, while 72 percent of Latinos said it was extremely important or very important that

Congress pass the bill (Guzman, Jara). The DREAM Act would give an equal playing

field to immigrants that are trying to survive in America.

The DREAM Act would rightfully extend the Plyler v Doe case giving

undocumented students the right to education. The Plyler v Doe case of 1982 ruled,

undocumented children and young adults have the same right to attend public primary

and secondary schools as do U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Before this case, a
Texas public school district was barring undocumented immigrant children from going

through the public education system. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the undocumented children wanting to receive an

education, stating that denying the right of education to undocumented immigrant

children and young adults violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth

Amendment which states that no State shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction

the equal protection of the laws (Plyler v Doe).

Passing the DREAM Act would rightly extend the Plyler v Doe decision to

incorporate higher education into the ruling. These students have already received an

education in American schools, and most do not have the money to pay for out of state

tuition. The DREAM Act would give these students conditional status and a path to

citizenship. A students right to an education was decided in Plyler v Doe in 1982. The

DREAM Act is merely a way to ensure that the right of an education is given out to

driven and hardworking children and young adults.

Some might argue that the DREAM Act is an amnesty to millions of

undocumented immigrants. This is not the case. The DREAM Act itself has strict

requirements; only high-performing young people would qualify to reap its benefits. To

benefit from the DREAM Act, students have to have [entered] the country when they

were under 16 years old, proving they have continuously lived in the U.S. for at least 5

years and graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED; demonstrating their

good moral character; proving they have not committed any crimes that would make
them inadmissible to the country (Miranda). After 2 years of serving in the armed forces

or attending college, dreamers would undergo the same background checks. If they

passed all the necessary requirements, then they would be eligible to move on to the next

stage of the process.

The DREAM Act is common-sense bill designed to give a fair chance to

hardworking and competent undocumented students searching to find a better life in

America. These students did not choose to come to America, and all that qualify for the

DREAM Act would have completed high school and have no criminal record. These

students are making the most of the situation that they are in where they cannot earn a

higher education because they would be forced to pay out of state tuition, which most

immigrant families cannot afford.

Passing the DREAM Act would not only benefit these undocumented students but

the American economy as well. These dreamers would contribute billions of dollars in

state and federal taxes by the time they finish their higher education and get a job. They

would strengthen the American workers, becoming the scientists, engineers, teachers, and

lawyers of tomorrow. These students have a love for the country they have come to call

their home. They are dedicated to making the most of what America has to offer, which is

more than their previous country would have offered them. The least Congress and the

President can do is help them succeed, and in return, they will help the United States

become a better, more diverse and exceptional country. The United States federal

government should enact the DREAM Act, giving diligent undocumented students a

chance to complete a higher education or serve in the armed forces.

Bibliography

"Amy's Story." Immigration and Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources, edited by

K. Lee Lerner, et al., Gale, 2006, pp. 329-333. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2688400130/OVIC?u=mcps_blair&xid=fb25ced5.

Accessed 12 Feb. 2017.This primary source follows Amy, an undocumented Taiwanese

immigrant through her struggle in America. She tells of her parents decisions to flee to

America, and her quest to create a normal life for herself and to help her parents.

"DREAM Act." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2016. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999157/

OVIC?u=mcps_blair&xid=cbe8256b. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017.

"The DREAM Act Correcting Myths and Misperceptions." National Immigration Law

Center, Sept. 2010, www.nilc.org/issues/

immigration-reform-and-executive-actions/dreamact/

dream-correcting-myths-misperceptions/. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017.

Fitz, Marshall, and Ann Garcia. "The DREAM Act by the Numbers." Center for

American Progress, 17 Dec. 2010, www.americanprogress.org/issues/

immigration/news/2010/12/17/8845/the-dream-act-by-the-numbers/. Accessed 8

Feb. 2017.
Guzman, Juan Carlos, and Raul C. Jara. "The Economic Benefits of Passing the

DREAM Act." Center for American Progress, oc 2012, www.americanprogress.org/

wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DREAMEcon-7.pdf. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017. This is an

investigation done by the Center for American Progress in October 2012

studying the economic effects of passing the DREAM Act. It found that the

DREAM Act could significantly help the American economy by adding $329

billion, and about 1.4 million jobs by 2030. The study also concluded that

by 2030 Dreamers would pay a total of $5.6 billion in state and federal

household income tax, and at $4.6 billion federal business tax revenue

collected.

This article by the Center for American Progress breaks down the

DREAM Act and gives data on things like the public's opinion on the Act. It

also gives economic and fiscal statistics.

"Immigrant Students' Rights to Attend Public Schools." Office of Superintendent

of Public Instruction, State of Washington, 24 Mar. 2015, www.k12.wa.us/

MigrantBilingual/ImmigrantRights.aspx. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017. This page from

Washington State's government website, outlines the principles of the

Plyler v Doe case of 1982. It is a bipartisan source, only stating the

facts of the case and specifications of the Supreme Court's decision. \

Miranda, Luis, editor. "Get The Facts On The DREAM Act." Obama White House

Archives, White House, 1 Dec. 2010, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/

 2010/12/01/get-facts-dream-act. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017. This is an Obama era

White House article outlining the facts, intentions, and misconceptions of

the DREAM Act. It is mostly nonpartisan, but it puts the bill in a slightly

better light.

"Plyler v Doe." Find Law, Thomson Reuters, 2017, caselaw.findlaw.com/

us-supreme-court/457/202.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017. This is a website that

stores detailed summaries of Supreme Court cases, as well as US laws and

amendments. This site is made for lawyers, judges, law students, and other

people wishing to read an in depth analysis of important US cases.