Refutation for the DREAM Act - Essay Example

It is an American legislation drafted by both the Democrats and the Republicans that would give students who were raised and studied in the US a chance to contribute to the country’s growth by serving the military or pursuing higher education. Some of the benefits that the government reaps from the act include; making the US more competitive in the global market, improving the national economy, contributing to the military’s recruitment efforts and readiness and allowing the immigrants and border security experts to focus on those who pose a serious threat to the national security.

Opponents are however against the DREAM Act and they provide various reasons to prove their argument. They claim that the DREAM Act would encourage more students to immigrate illegally into the US and applicants would use it to petition for relatives. They also add that the DREAM Act would result in taxpayers having to subsidize student loans for those students who are registered through the DREAM Act. (The White House FactSheet). The DREAM Act is purely beneficial to the American people and I will illustrate the reasoning of the critics and provide the factual information that is contained in the Act.

Most critics think that the DREAM Act, when passed will imply that the government would be awarding privileges and rights to individuals who have broken the law by violating the immigration laws and to those who have not worked for them and therefore they do not deserve those privileges. Critics argue that the DREAM Act is amnesty since the immigrants are being pardoned after breaking the immigration laws. (Lamar) The above argument is fallacious since the DREAM Act requires responsibility and accountability of young people who will apply in order to adjust their status under the requirements of the DREAM Act, which is a lengthy and rigorous process.

Young people applying for citizenship under the