July 27, 2011

America has traditionally been a nation powered by immigrants. Yet despite the enormous contributions made by “new Americans” from all over the world, our nation’s immigration laws are fundamentally flawed. As MPAC’s policy paper, “Ineffective & Unjust: Fixing Our Nation’s Broken Immigration System” points out, “the current legal immigration system is characterized by unrealistic quotas and bureaucratic inefficiencies. This creates perverse incentives for illegal immigration. Additionally, legal enforcement has been insufficient and ineffective.”

Nowhere is this more true that the case of 2.1 million undocumented immigrants who, all but on paper, are Americans. They were raised here most of their lives, speak English as their first or only language, and pledge allegiance to the American flag. Their entire identity is American, because as far as they are concerned, America is their only home.

However they are confined to the legal margins of society and limited in their ability to achieve the American dream because of the actions of their parents. These young individuals were brought here to this nation as children and, through no fault of their own, have been living in legal limbo for years. As a result their prospects for job advancement and contributing to our nation’s economic well-being is limited. 

No student should be deported because he wants to go to college or start a business. And yet, our current immigration laws do exactly that. They are people like Alaa Mukahhal, who has been living here since she was seven years old and recently graduated from college with a degree in architecture. Mukahhal is currently placed in deportation proceedings because – after being tired of living in the shadows for years – she tried to “get in line” and apply for asylum as a stateless person. 

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a common-sense legislative solution to this problem. It allows for undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as children to earn their citizenship, provided that they enroll in college or enlist in the military. It gives hardworking individuals a way to legally become what they already are: Americans.

Earlier this month, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) stood with other religious leaders in support of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) as he proposed the “DREAM Act Sabbath.” This weekend program in September aims to foster discussion about the DREAM Act on a local grassroots level, in mosques, churches, and synagogues. By casting light on the plight of these undocumented Americans, MPAC and ISNA hope to assemble broad community support for the DREAM Act.

-- Alejandro J. Beutel
(alejandro@mpac.org)
Government & Policy Analyst