Fighting Misinformation - Part I

Ever since I became a part of the DREAM Act movement, I have been really surprised by the amount of misinformation spread by the anti-immigration movement. I feel their purpose is to instill fear into American citizens through their lies about both immigration and the DREAM Act. While I don't expect to change the minds of xenophobes, I believe U.S citizens will support us and our cause if they truly understand the DREAM Act and what is encompasses.

The purpose of these "Fighting Misinformation" posts is to inform readers about the DREAM Act and to fight the lies spread by the anti-immigration group.


1) The DREAM Act is not amnesty.

Amnesty (n): an act of forgiveness for past offenses, esp. to a class of persons as a whole.

The idea of amnesty does not apply to DREAM Act beneficiaries. Amnesty, as shown above, implies that the person has committed a crime or offense. Students eligible for the DREAM Act did not commit a crime by coming to this country. They were children and infants, brought to the U.S. by their parents. The only "crime" they committed was to follow them.

Furthermore, DREAM Act students will not be "granted" citizenship after the enactment of the act. They will have to complete at least 2 years of college or 2 years in the military in order to be eligible for citizenship. They will also have to continue to show good moral character and have no criminal record in order to qualify. Furthermore, the DREAM Act legislation states that students will only be eligible for citizenship after 6 years have passed since the enactment of the law. Therefore, the idea of "amnesty" is completely false as these students will have to work hard in order to finally achieve their dreams.