Democracy
TIME Exclusive: A Nation of Laws and a Nation of Immigrants
Barack Obama, TIME Magazine - The President explains his decision to no longer deport undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children
This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new actions to continue to improve our nation’s immigration policy in order to make it more fair, efficient, and just for certain young people sometimes known as “Dreamers.”
These are young people who study in our schools, play in our neighborhoods, are friends with our kids, and pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart and minds, in every single way but one: on paper. They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants, and often have no idea that they’re undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver’s license, or a college scholarship.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you’ve done everything right your entire life, studied hard, worked hard, maybe even graduated at the top of your class, only to suddenly face the threat of deportation to a country that you know nothing about, with a language that you may not even speak.
That’s what gave rise to the DREAM Act, a bill that says that if your parents brought you here as a child, if you’ve been here for five years, and you’re willing to go to college or serve in our military, you can one day earn your citizenship. Both parties wrote that bill.
