Ed. Note: This is the second in a series of posts from top Administration Officials on the importance of the DREAM Act. Read Education Secretary Arne Duncan's post here.
Early in my career, I worked as a student advisor and higher education recruitment counselor. Many of the young people I worked with were undocumented, including a college-bound young man whose academic achievements and dedication to hard work made him a model student in everyone’s eyes. He gave everything his all, and today he’s an environmental scientist. He has a rewarding, interesting and good-paying job. And he is making his own unique contribution to our country and the world.
He understood what a privilege it is to live in a country that allowed him to get a good education. That’s precisely why he chose to give back through public service. It’s his way of showing his profound gratitude.
I think about him every time I talk about the DREAM Act–legislation designed to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents, by giving them the chance to either obtain legal status by pursuing a higher education, or by serving in the U.S. armed forces.
The DREAM Act has long enjoyed bipartisan support. And the vote in the House of Representatives this week followed suit, with eight Republicans voting to pass the measure.
There’s no reason why it shouldn’t receive that kind of support in the Senate. It’s time to act. Now.
Fonte: White House