Compiled by Maddie Peare, a Summer 2012 Leadership Conference Education Fund Intern

President Obama’s DREAM Act Good For All Americans

Tom Roach
Opinion: The Seattle Times

Tom Roach, who has practiced immigration law in Eastern Washington for 29 years, argues that Obama’s executive order that gave undocumented immigrants “deferred action” is “common sense.” These undocumented immigrants pursuing the American Dream through higher education can make a significant impact on American society. Furthermore, many undocumented immigrants were brought here when they were very young with their parents and therefore should not be held accountable for actions over which they had no control. Giving these children immigrants the opportunity to become American citizens will benefit American society as a whole, especially since this will increase tax revenue that will contribute more to programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Column: Post-9/11 Discrimination Must End

USA Today
Deepa Iyer

The shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin last Sunday highlights the increased bias and discrimination against the Sikh, Muslim, Arab-American, and South-Asian communities. Following 9/11, there was a 1,600 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes. Deepa Iyer argues that an attack on any religion in the United States, which was founded on the principle of religious freedom, is an attack on American ideals. Iyer also believes that individuals of different backgrounds and faiths should be included in our society and that bigoted statements and actions should be denounced.

Illegal Immigrants See Opportunity in New Rule

Maria Marroquin
The New York Times

A new government policy will give young illegal immigrants work permits.  According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are 140,000 illegal immigrants enrolled in college and 80,000 illegal immigrants already have degrees. The ability to obtain work permits will enable these students and college graduates to seek better jobs outside of the service industry, to which many were previously limited. Professor Roberto G. Gonzales, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, said that this policy will help solve the problem of “wasted talent.” Furthermore, with a work permit, many illegal immigrants who previously thought they could not afford to pay college tuition with low income jobs will have the opportunity to pursue higher education.