“Give me your tired, your poor,?
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,?
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.?
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me.?
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

These are the words that have greeted thousands of immigrants as they arrive at Ellis Island since 1892. Lately though it seems as though there’s been a huge footnote at the end that says “But make sure you have the right paperwork filled out.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not in anyway advocating open borders. There should definitely be a process to get into this country. Unfortunately the one we have now is such a mess that something needs to be done to remedy the situation. And this is where the DREAM Act comes into play.

Under the DREAM Act, individuals who arrived to this country illegally would be granted the opportunity for citizenship through either completion of a degree from a four year college or two years of service in the United States military.

Now personally, I don’t see where the problem lies in this. This legislation seems to be a win-win situation. We’re giving people the opportunity to come to this country and through hard work and dedication become citizens and contribute to the advancement of its people.

We also get people who are willing to die for a country that doesn’t recognize them in order to be able to say they are citizens.

In a 2008 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States ranked 18th in secondary education out of 36 nations examined. Other countries are moving faster along in educating their citizens while the US falls further behind.

Implementation of the DREAM Act could help us become the leader in education like we once were. While we may not currently be the most favorable country in the world’s eyes, there is obviously still opportunities to become so again if people are struggling and fighting to come here for a better life.

One of the big issues lately is the problem with jobs being outsourced overseas or the few jobs available that don’t require more than the ability to flip a hamburger being given to people that aren’t citizens of this country.

By educating the people who actually want to be here we could avoid this problem.

This path to citizenship isn’t easy. It would take a lot of work. Some will make it, others won’t. But this is the reason many of these immigrants struggle to come to this country in the first place.

This isn’t welfare. The government won’t be paying for their education. If they want that four year degree they’d have to find a way to fund it themselves. And isn’t that the American dream, to be able to come out of the lowest of situations only to be able to rise out on top?

The DREAM Act would allow these people to serve their country, whether it be with a pen or a gun.

Personally, I hope they choose the pen.