“Aquí venimos en busca del Sueño Americano,” my father reminds me. “Here we come in search of the American Dream.”

Growing up, I understood that hard work equals success. Immigrants like my parents come to the US in search of better opportunities for themselves or their children. However, the reality is that the American Dream is not available to everyone.
The statue of liberty is often a beacon of freedom and opportunity. If we returned to 1845, we could witness an increase of Irish immigrants coming into the United States as a result of the Irish potato famine. People were fleeing devastating events and looked to the US as a second chance not only for themselves, but also for their families. Despite their willingness to work and contribute to the US economy, they faced discrimination and exploitation. Today, we see history repeating itself with another group of immigrants.
Americans believe that the United States is a country of freedom, a country built by immigrants, therefore “welcoming” all peoples of all ethnicities. Former president Ronald Reagan reinforced this idea of freedom in his “Tear down this wall” speech.
We welcome change, for we believe that freedom and security go together. The advancement of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace.

President Donald Trump shone the spotlight on a new group: undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration labels this group as “rapists, criminals and bad hombres” from Mexico who are only looking to disrupt American communities. This language also extends to encompass undocumented immigrants that may be your peers, friends, co-workers, students or neighbors.
There are 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US. Approximately five million of are students either in high school or college. Though I do believe it’s important to talk about all 11 million of these individuals, I want to focus my efforts on the student population known as Dreamers. The term Dreamers is given to undocumented students brought to the U.S as children.

Growing up, America is the only place they know to call home. Before DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), all Dreamers faced lack of access to scholarships, graduating with a degree but were unable to work in professional fields or travel outside of country. They lived in fear of deportation. Under this new policy, Dreamers are able to join the professional workforce, travel for any school, job or emergency purpose and have access to scholarships. DACA is not available to all Dreamers. Eligibility requirements say they must be “under 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012, came to the US. while under the age of 16 and have continuously resided in the US. from June 15, 2007 to the present.”
DACA only allows for so much and even though these students have grown to call the US their only home, they do not have the same privileges as permanent residents or citizens. Dreamers were brought into the US with the idea of the American Dream. Parents came to the US with the hopes of achieving that dream for their families. It’s only with time that they find out the dream is not available to everyone. The notion that immigrants are able to obtain that American Dream is becoming more flawed over time. The Dreamers’ situation is just an example of this myth. But can we make the dream obtainable to all?

I’d say giving a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers is a start, but we still have more progress.