Monday, October 29, 2007

Kids of illegal immigrants live in fear but pursue American dream

This story shows why these high school students who excel in school should be allowed to attend college for a reasonable tuition and then become citizens. Our taxes paid for them to be educated, why would we want them to stop their education and take menial jobs now? Educated residents start businesses, pay taxes, buy houses, etc. This is the American way. DP

By KEVIN GRAMAN, THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

seattlepi.nwsource.com: SPOKANE, Wash. -- A teenage girl studying entrepreneurship at Washington State University would be on her way to realizing the American Dream, except she is not American.

Mercedes grew up poor in a small central Washington farm town, studied hard and despite having to work part-time, the Running Start student graduated from high school with a 3.8 grade-point average and an associate's degree from Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake.

Like other 18-year-olds starting college this fall, Mercedes is motivated by personal ambition. She wants to own a business so that she can provide jobs to other Latinos.

But because she was brought to the United States from Mexico by her parents when she was 2 and is here illegally, she has lived in fear since she was very young of being detected and deported to a native country she has never known.

"I always worried that immigration (officers) would come if I didn't excel," she said.

Last week, the U.S. Senate voted whether to end debate on a bill that would grant her and as many as 65,000 students a year like her, the U.S.-raised offspring of illegal immigrants, legal residency while she pursues her degree. Its bipartisan sponsors fell eight votes short of the 60 needed to bring the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act to a vote.

It is the DREAM Act to those supporters in Congress who say children should not be punished for the actions of their parents. It is the Bad Dream Act to opponents who say it rewards illegal behavior with amnesty.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

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