Act to give equality for hispanic immigrants

By Desmond Coleman
Co-Editor

With the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Day fresh in the minds of American college students, it is beneficial to discuss the issues facing those students today who still have dreams to be realized, Hispanics.

In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King declared his hope that there would come a day when people of all backgrounds would receive equal opportunity to pursue the goals and aspirations they believe to be attainable in a nation founded upon individual rights and equality.

Hispanics, both legal and illegal, have been the subject of much debate in Washington. With the reintroduction of the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) act in May of 2011 by Democratic Senator Harry Reid, there is currently much debate about the provisions in the act. The act intends to provide conditional permanent residency to minors who arrived on American soil illegally with their parents.

Some conservative Republican politicians object to the act on the basis that it encourages and rewards illegal immigration. Those in support of the act interpret it with the belief that it gives fair opportunity to those illegal immigrants who have been brought to the U.S not of their own free will, but by their family. Because the act is only applicable to those immigrants who attend a four-year college or university or serve in the military, leaders in support of it find no real threat in its provisions, but rather see many benefits.

There is a story of one illegal immigrant, Alfredo Quinoses, who arrived in U.S. of his own free will in an attempt to escape the poverty of his native land, Mexico. Upon arrival, he began work as a migrant farm worker and railroad welder. However, his dissatisfaction with his work and his desire for a better life motivated him to take classes at a community college. His goals later led him to attend University of California- Berkeley, Harvard Medical School and ultimately landed him at Johns Hopkins Medicine where he is currently a world-renowned neurosurgeon.

The story of Alfredo Quinoses is the type of story that allows one to see the possible benefits immigrants can offer to American citizens and American society as a whole. Though Quinoses did immigrate to the U.S. illegally, his hard work and dedication led him to become an asset to America. If he, a man who illegally immigrated to this nation of his own free will is an asset to society how many more immigrants are there in U.S. schools and universities like him?

This issue is of utmost importance for the future of America and for the future of those Hispanics who know no other home except America.

Being that this is the case and that campaign season is currently in motion, college students across the country who know and cherish the relationships they have with their Hispanic and other immigrant acquaintances can fight for equal educational and socioeconomic opportunities for those they love.

The opportunity to realize dreams is of critical importance to the progress of our nation. College students everywhere can stand along side their fellow classmates this year by becoming informed about the issue and taking an educated stance and being proactive.

Among the many things one can do to is to make an informed vote this election year. In the spirit of Dr. King, college students of this generation can make lasting changes for those Hispanics who, along with themselves, dream of a better nation---a better world.