The PROUD Act is Not a Substitute for the DREAM Act
Published June 09, 2009 @ 08:47AM PT
It came to our attention last week that Representative Joe Baca was re-introducing a bill for immigrant high-school graduates called the PROUD Act or ‘People Resolved to Obtain an Understanding of Democracy Act’ (H.R. 2681).
We would like to thank Joe Baca for introducing this bill again as his efforts do demonstrate the support that exists for immigrant youth.
When we called his office to ask for clarification and to see how the PROUD Act related to the DREAM Act and how we could work together, Baca’s staff were unclear - “No, he has not co-sponsored Dream, no they don’t have background info on why he introduced bill…”
After studying the 1-page bill, we have to conclude that the PROUD Act is not a viable alternative to the DREAM Act. We welcome a bill that does not have a military provision, benefits young people, and pushes the DREAM Act further to the Left. But what we have here is a more restrictive measure that alienates more students than the DREAM Act and doesn’t provide the necessary protections needed.
First, the age requirements are too restrictive and arbitrary. The PROUD Act would not benefit the scores of talented and hard-working students that have been working on getting legislation benefiting immigrant youth passed for so many years.
Essentially, the bill would only benefit those ‘alien minors’ who have been here from Grade 6 to 12, completed high school with a civics curriculum, and are under the age of 25 when they file their application.
Goodbye Matias.
Goodbye Tam Tran.
Goodbye Marie Gonzalez.
Goodbye Prerna.
Josh Bernstein, Director of Immigration at SEIU, states that “fewer students would qualify under the PROUD Act because they would have to have come here at a much younger age and even if they have been here since infancy they would not qualify if through no fault of their own they reach 25 years old before the law is enacted and regulations published.”
In comparison, the House DREAM Act bill has no age limit with the cut-off requirement for entry at around 10th-11th grade instead of 6th. A 15-year old is also a minor who is not culpable for the alleged transgressions of their parents.
Rigid age requirements aside, there are no provision for persons who get a GED instead of a high school diploma. If you dropped out of high school, you won’t be able to get a GED and hence prevent deportation. Goodbye.
Additionally, unlike the DREAM Act, there is no protection against deportation for high school or junior high school students before graduation, no confidentiality provision to protect parents, no expedited processing and no repeal of federal in-state tuition restrictions.
And given that it was only re-introduced in the House with one co-sponsor, there is little-to-no chance of passage.
The DREAM Act is the result of 9 years of hard-work, compromise and battle. And it is closer to passage than ever before. Lets hope immigrant youth don’t have to wait another decade for immigration reform.
Call (202)225-6161, email and thank Joe Baca for introducing the PROUD Act and ask him to cosponsor and support the DREAM Act today.
While you are at it, here are more actions you can undertake in support of the DREAM Act.
(Crossposted at DreamActivist)
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Prerna Lal
- San Francisco, CA
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Dream ACTivist is a law-school bound queer undocumented student and blogger. Her family came to the United States legally but due to the massive USCIS backlog, she aged out on their visa petition at the age of 21. Despite not being able to drive, work, get financial aid or even instate-tuition for college, she graduated with a Masters degree at the age of 22 and since then, has been volunteering with organizations in the community and working on pro-migrant reforms such as the DREAM Act
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Why, What & WHO are the 'original builders' of early America?
Why?
The Americas' where being mapped on the eastern shores, all while Western Europe was in constant war, suffering famines and the spread of disease from the overcrowding Old World cities and towns.
What?
In the meantime, the rich & powerful made the plans for this New World, America. These plans included giant farms to feed the the masses back in the Old World & 'cash-in' on the fertile soil. However, the expense was far too great to hire workers or buy slaves.The native people were targeted as 'the red devils' and marked for expulsion, for they were to wild to catch and enslave. Instead, and mostly, the native people became victims of many calamities of the new invaders. The contaminated invaders brought new diseases of filth, guns, hatred and greed that began scattering original peoples into the wilderness.
WHO?
Back in the Old World there was an abundance of orphaned children, from the above descriptions of that Old World. These orphaned children were 'harvested', so to say, as they were displaced these children wandered the streets and country-sides. They were easy to tempt or catch and rounded-up for shipment as child-labor exploitation in the New World, if they survived the long journey on-board their enslavement ships into the unknown.
Sadly, year after year, more and more children were sent to their sentence of hard labor enslavement farms. Because, back in the Old World the orphans were plentiful there was little need to care if they died on-the-job. So it was, that not a single orphaned-slave-child survived their cruel, harsh environment that had imprisoned them to work the heavy loads of greed in the New World, America.
There is no historical records to be found that give the exact amount of the masses of children that perished as orphaned-slave-children here. But their little legs, backs and hands are the 'original builders' of this country we now call, The United States of America.
Let us bow our heads in solemn appreciation for their sufferance, servitude, and their sacrifice for this country that claims to be "Home of the Brave, Land of the Free".
Thank you kindly, Lisa M Murray
Posted by Lisa Murray on 06/10/2009 @ 08:32PM PT
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I think you overstate the case for these children as the builders of this country. If you don't know how many perished and none survived, it follows that you don't know how many were brought to this country. People came to this country for many reasons: religious persecution, famine, pestilence, disease, war, and political instability. Most were a part of hardworking families who made their own way in the new world. There were indentured servants who thought the new world offered more opportunities than their prior situation. Many came voluntarily in indentured status. Others may have been prisoners like those sent to Australia after the American Revolution. Still others were deserters from the British and the Hessian Armies. They too saw opportunities not available in their homelands.
Before the child labor laws were passed, many children worked to help support their families, even as late as the 20th century.
The builders of America were not just those who did manual labor as children or as adults. They worked largely for themselves and for self-sufficiency. In the process they did indeed help build America but let us not forget the intellectual underpinning of country -- Washingtons, Adam, Jefferson, Madison, and all the other early leaders who managed under difficult circumstances to found a new nation.
If there were shanghied children from the streets of Europe and they were worked to death, we know little about them and their contributions. If they were great, as you suggest, certainly we should honor them along with all the others who sacrificed their lives and fortunes to build America.
Posted by Gordon Johnson on 08/14/2009 @ 02:55PM PT
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Dear Mr. Johnson,
There is NO over-statement in my reminder for the children who suffer or had suffered for this country and others.
It would serve you well to study American Labor History. Besides, my post is in reflection to a time long before the birthing of the 'States', as your response suggests.
I'm not sorry that 'this wake-up call' reminder, to serve in and honor the nurturing and protection of children had stunned you briefly.
However, you calmed down, and the very potential of my reminder began to enlighten your own child within.
Bless you, and thanks for the challenge.
Lisa
Posted by Lisa Murray on 08/31/2009 @ 01:01AM PT
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