Urging politicians to consider DREAM Act

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

Urging politicians to consider DREAM Act

The lives of millions of honest, hard-working men and women — many of them young students brought to this country by their parents when they were too young to understand the implications — hang in the balance as party politics continues to take priority over principle in Washington, D.C.

But the current “lame duck” session of Congress presents our leaders, particularly our outgoing leaders, with a critical window of opportunity to simply do the right thing. In fact, if 12 Republicans were to support this legislation as they did in 2007, the DREAM Act would have a strong chance of passing the Senate.

The DREAM Act would offer undocumented immigrant youth a pathway to legal permanent residency through higher education or military service. It also offers our country a solid first step in fixing our very broken immigration system, not to mention a sound investment in our economic future — all wins, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on politically

These youth are ready to contribute to our country, the only place they’ve ever called home. Morally, economically or socially speaking, it simply makes more sense to invest in these youth, our nation’s future, than to isolate or even deport them.

As a resident of Aurora, I urge Judy Biggert and Bill Foster to put aside partisan politicking and to take this fleeting opportunity to do the right thing. The “dreams” of these undocumented youth are the “dreams” of all Americans.

Diane Herr

Aurora

Foolish to believe I can be American I wish to be?

Mr. Steve G. Beckle, after reading the list of all of your intellectual credentials, I must admit you are one smart cookie. In fact, I suspect you maybe related to Mr. Jim G. Springer, the military marksman who contends that those who do not agree with what he believes in should stop viewing what he considers unpatriotic news networks, pick up a weapon and stand guard in the Middle East, or so it seems to me.

I just could be wrong, as I have never been considered or even called a smart man, anything close to such a term. But when I was in Vietnam, I did not want to depend on anyone not willing to watch my six. Nor do I want such a person to be unwilling to fight to defend my son, who is on his second deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. What do I know? I guess I am the one who should be called a fool.

In my ignorant mind I have always thought that we are all entitled to be the Americans we wish to be. At least that is what my illegal alien and beloved grandfather told me so many years ago.

Al Montez

Oswego