Opinion : A multitude of gray areas define the DREAM Act debate

To the Editor,

I have read the responses to President Obama’s executive order halting the deportation of undocumented people, particularly those who have lived here since childhood at no fault of their own. There seems to be two main factions who are against the order, 1) people who will find fault with anything the President does or 2) the over hyper-sensitive individuals who only see things in black or white on this issue and do not understand that there are multiple shades of gray. These two groups are not mutually exclusive.

Before someone responds, the country would have a new immigration policy, the Dream Act, from President Obama if the Republicans in Congress would have not prevented it from becoming law a long time ago. But Republicans stated at the beginning of 2009 that the one and only goal of their party was to make President Obama a one-term president and have blocked most of his legislative proposals for political gain. (When I hear that this executive order is only done for political gain, keep in mind opposing everything Democrats and the President has put forth just to elect more Republicans is the height of being political and to now whine about the President doing something political is the definition of hypocrisy). All President’s including Republican presidents, have used executive orders to bypass Congress and for political maneuvering.

But the problem President Obama seeks to change is, and please put yourself in this position in this scenario. You are an infant and are brought illegally to this country by your parents. You grow up here, attend school, English is your language, you grow up in the American culture and by the time you are 20 something you are as an American as if your parents came over on the Mayflower. You want to “serve” your country in the military defending freedom, you want to go to college to become a tax-paying productive individual but wait, you are technically illegal and is found out. You are deported to a country you know nothing about, do not know the language, do not know anyone. But because your parents brought you to America illegal as an infant you are in jeopardy of losing your home and the country you feel is every way yours. How would you feel? This is what the executive order is about.

Here is another example that relates to my ancestry. My grandfather came here from Germany as a young man. I do not know the story of how or even if he became naturalized. The system was much different then. I am assuming he was considered a citizen. Now what if I was born to parents who came here illegally from Germany after WWII and now after all this time find out that secret. Under existing laws, I could be deported to Germany. I don’t know anyone in Germany, I do not speak German but I am told not to come back to my home and my country because I am not technically American. Think about it.

The above scenarios depict just one problem with our existing laws. There are thousands of other issues regarding illegals. It is not just black or white where you could deport anyone just because they are not technical American. There are a multitude of gray areas. As the country waits for comprehensive immigration policies that help solve the problem, Republicans defiantly sit on their hands to score political points against the President and Democrats. What is great about our country is that we are a nation of compassionate people who understand the complexity of the situation and seek to find an equitable answer. At least that is the country I want to live in and aspire to. My hope is that the public eventually will reject the current climate of obstruction for true reform.