Genre: Opinion/Argumentation

Opinion: DREAM On: Immigration reform should not focus on Dreamers by Stephen A. Nuo 7:00 am on 11/13/2012 As the GOP licks its wounds and the Democrats lick their chops after this election, the broad impact Latino voters had throughout the country on the president's reelection will once again focus the national discussion on immigration reform. We've been here before. Presidents from both parties, as well as Republicans and Democrats in Congress, have tried to pass immigration reform to no avail. And as Congress has failed to pass a reform bill that would relieve Latino families from the brutal results of our immigration system, a segment of the undocumented community has emerged from the dialogue -- the Dreamers. Dreamers are a group of undocumented residents who draw their name from the Dream Act, a bipartisan bill proposed more than a decade ago as a compromise for failure to come to an agreement on a comprehensive reform bill. Seeking to influence the public and policy makers through moral persuasion, Dreamers are young, smart, and they challenge authority by daring police to arrest and deport them. These are bold kids, but something about them has always been a little unsettling. Keep in mind that as we march into this debate over immigration yet again, the language and images both sides use in this debate will be critical. My own wish is to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that addresses the perverted incentives built into the immigration system that ultimately leaves no participant -- not the government, nor the immigrants or the businesses that hire them -- particularly interested in cooperating. As Dreamers protest across the country, trying to convince the public that our immigration system is unjust, I am left wondering how effective they will be in helping comprehensive reform move forward. I wonder how persuasive it is to on the one hand argue that the system is merciless, while on the other hand expect to travel around the country challenging authority. How brutal can the system be if these kids are allowed to flaunt the law like that? This image is damaging to the prize, because the system is brutal. It is unjust. It is unreasonable. It's irrational and economically damaging. But that's not the message I get from Dreamers.  If I weren't already convinced that they should be given a pathway to citizenship, I'd question whether or not the government isn't negotiating immigration reform from both sides of the table. Of course, that's why the president has implemented the harshest deportation program since Eisenhower; to address that argument. But who cares? Immigration reform will be tough to pass. Getting it past a House of Representatives run by the Republicans may make this a drawn-out affair at a time when the president will be under extreme pressure to move on and focus on the broader fight over the budget and the economy. We've been here before. Faced with a decision to address health care or immigration reform, the president chose health care. I'm not sure he had a choice, but choose he did, and in the process condemned the Latino community to three years of hard time. Will the president sell us out? I can't say I'm confident he wouldn't. And this is where I think Dreamers can be detrimental to the goal of immigration reform. To put it bluntly, Dreamers think they are special. They feel entitled. They're cute. They're smart. They make people cry because of their compelling stories. But that's not special. And if times get tough for the president, I fear he may use the Dreamers as a pressure valve. He may focus the debate away from comprehensive reform and towards this small group of vocal undocumented immigrants. I have a problem with that. Dreamers aren't special. They don't suffer disproportionately for being undocumented. Besides the individual level storytelling, they have not moved the debate except to focus much of the debate on them. I have a problem with that. I think that needs to change before we go back into the fray. Excellent! I love kids - my kids, your kids - everyone's kids........and their aspirations and hopes. But - in relation to national legislation and it's effect in immigration as a whole, I agree with "And this is where I think Dreamers can be detrimental to the goal of immigration reform." Based on standard national statistics, the Dream issue is like 2% of the 5% of the 30%. It's like basing legislation reform for construction standards based on how left handed people open doors. BUT - excellent 'throw-a-bone' sensationalism for the masses to focus on and NOT hold lawmakers accountable. Another 'Wag - meet Dog'. I get the point of this column and respect it. However, I think the DREAMers have done an amazing job in using social media to take their issues to the masses, and this is something that all of us who are pushing for CIR should use a digital grassroots model. Their ability to make this issue so public and part of the national dialogue is because of how they have organized through hard work and social media. Others who are fighting the same fight would learn a lot from them. How do you know that Dreamers don't suffer disproportionately for being undocumented? What is the objective criteria for what makes Dreams special or not? And, lastly, why do you fail to differentiate between activist dreamers and non-activist dreamers? Most dreamers do not go around the country protesting. Most just work to get by. They see their potential hit a hard, concrete ceiling, unlike those who came here as adults. This article is ridiculous. Who do you think made sure to turn out the latino vote? What faction of the latino community do you believe is the most organized and politically aware? The fact that immigration reform still on the map at all considering the last few years is because of the hard work and sacrifice of DREAM students. Now that they've done the hard work you just want to brush them aside? The DREAM act is necessary and relevant to the whole discussion of Immigration reform. If you can't see that, then you honestly have no place in the discussion that will soon be taking place in congress. Immigration Reform NOW! DREAM Act NOW! Fuck your kids and the things they say, fuck you're misery cause it ain't worth shit, too. Suffering? It's the American way! Ain't you ever heard about how the frontier was slayed? No worries, colonization (if not a master teacher) is still a merry master. Your wife? She's fucked too. Oh, & by the way my foundation told me to tell you. They dictate this. Stephen Nuo, check your privilege. Your perceptions of what undocumented youth experience is based on what you see in the media. Did you bother to meet any before writing out this crap? Throwing youth under the bus does not boost your argument- it merely shows just how clueless you are to the issues. Stephen A. Nuo I can tell from you writing that you get a long with leaders in the CIR community. It is clear that you are an ignorant in the internal politics of immigrant organizations. You don't understand organizing. If you have time please educate yourself before writing another peace in CIR and DREAM ACT. "I Agree with this article in that its United We DREAMs fault for creating such a perception of what a DREAMer is i.e cute little innocent valedictorian success story etc.. Has this author seen the work DREAMactivist.org and TheNIYA have been doing the past year? infiltrating jails stopping deportations of older non dreamers etc.." Jose Franco. Thanks for continuing to add to the divide in our movement. There is already enough between the DREAMers and then you add fuel to their fire. People need to understand we aren't all cookie cutter, there are many different stories, don't let what this man whom obviously has a biased view, determine what you think. If you think all DREAMers are cute and valedictorians, then go for it, if you want to think all DREAMers infiltrate jails, then go for it. However I really hope that you don't base your opinion on this man and his skewed view of what he wants you to think. What makes us all great is that we are so different and we are able to work past that. Why are the resources being spilled into having a Dreamer travel the country, much less travel the country and go partying. In light of the number of deportations under Obama, something has to be done now. We have to spend our resources wiser than that. I think the Republicans are on one hand just trying to make it possible for themselves to win an election in 2016 while on the other hand are making it possible for us to have the bipartisan support we need in both Houses to pass comprehensive immigration and the DREAM Act all at once. Stephen A. Nuo, We all due respect, thank you for pointing this out! Thank you for making us, DREAMers the oppressors, the selfish arrogant kids that all we want is to fix status without worrying or even caring for our loved ones. I'm sorry to say it, but you are not seeing the big picture. We are the product of the hardworking families, countless sacrifices made by our communities. We are the Fruit produced by every member of our community. Therefore, we love the "fruit (us), but we cannot love it without loving the roots that produce it -- our communities". If I'm not mistaken, what you said about those kids is: "Dreamers think they are special. They feel entitled. They're cute. They're smart. They make people cry because of their compelling stories. But that's not special. And if times get tough for the president, I fear he may use the Dreamers as a pressure valve. He may focus the debate away from comprehensive reform and towards this small group of vocal undocumented immigrants.". So for you we are selfish and arrogant? Well, let me break it down for you! Our families have sacrificed everything they had; they risked their lives so we could have a better future. So you are saying their sacrifices are in vain just because we could potentially be used as a valve for the failure of the Immigration Reform? No sir, we are not dumb, either! We will hold President Obama and all the politicians accountable for their empty promises. As a matter of fact we have proven it! Does DACA sound familiar to you? We were the ones that kept the Immigration issue alive after almost everyone else gave up on it! We will fight until the end, we won't stop on just the DREAM Act, and we will fight until we get the CIR! The author of this piece is still smarting from the way in which Dreamers were able to navigate a spineless Democratic party, a hate-mongering Republican party, and the oppressive CIR non-profit industrial complex, to WIN, by making ourselves the litmus test for immigration reform, and winning some form of relief (DACA). There is a much better way to say that Dreamers should not be the only people who benefit from immigration reform and there is a much better way of pushing for the best available plan while being inclusive of everyone-- something, that you should also learn from Dreamers. Go figure. After reading the article and reading the responses I think there is a general misconception about the point of the article. The article itself does not speak out against the DREAMers, nor does it call for a halt to the movement, rather it questions whether or not it should be the leading the democratic party's reform plan. To the millions of uneducated white folk in America, illegal immigration as a whole is bad and mass migration back to Mexico is the only solution. Now, present the image of an 18 year old Latino/Latina who gets to travel the country and lives better than said white American while on speaking tours to rally immigration change. Some are moved and come to the inevitable conclusion that immigration reform is necassary, others are enraged, and this symbol created for the future becomes an antithesis, a symbol for the GOP to use as the next "handout" group. This is what Nuo is saying, comprehensive immigration reform is the only form that will fix all of the relating issues in the United States. If this subject becomes the headlining topic, then there is a strong possibility that it might be the only issue fixed and the hundreds of thousands of other illegal immigrants, the mothers and fathers of these DREAMers will never get a chance to live safely in this country. A little unsettling? You mean they are the ones willing to put themselves on the line to pass legislation, risk being deported, so that they and their families could become fearless? This vato, hahaha! But he got what he needs: page views. Now, let the market dictate; we want more hate articles! Let capitalism be the ultimate decider; spoon feed us entertainment. It's sometimes incomprehensible why people stick their necks out when others sit and hold their tongues. We can see this as irrational or we can see this as bravery. I see it as bravery. That said, I also think that immigration reform should not *only* focus on Dreamers, because this is a human rights issue. We can't allow ourselves to get painted into a corner and only address some of the inhumane aspects of our immigration policy. We have to attack it all with a focus on creating a just system for all. You'll hear some elites go on about how super elite college grads should be allowed in the country because they will instantly become job creators and you'll hear others push for work programs to fill the needs of large corporations and agribusiness but these are all exceptions. We need something comprehensive and something with a path to citizenship. This is horrible analysis. Self-contradictory. So what does he expect dream activists to do? Sit down, shut up, and go to the back of the bus, and then "stop crying about themselves." Who said they were crying about themselves? They're raising a ruckus for all uf is. The worst part is that he invalidates the whole suffering of undocumented people, and makes it seem like giving them anything is an act of grace and kindness, rather than an act of necessity and justice; something worth fighting for that they are going to have to fight for themselves, because clearly, with friends, like this who needs Mitt Romney? I've seen lots of so-called "experts" with PhD's or JD's say things like this. If it were up to them, we'd still all be hiding behind black bars and on-screen shadows, never saying our true names or advocating for ourselves, because all we really need is experts to do it for us right? wrong. This "kid" is 22 years old, and by all rights an adult. But I am sure that as a mature and grown up person with papers you know what is best for us. It must a 'burden' to let us young undocu-folk know how to be GOOD, young undocu-folk, but thank you for going out of your way. Thank you for being one more patronizing and belittling voice... And thank you for assuming I would throw my mother under the bus for a chance at citizenship. " I have a problem with that. Dreamers aren't special. They don't suffer disproportionately for being undocumented. Besides the individual level storytelling, they have not moved the debate except to focus much of the debate on them." Really? Our parent's struggle is our struggle as undocumented immigrant youth and students. We have always, and will continue speaking and organizing loud and strong for a path to citizenship for our entire family. I guess you are not aware of immigrant youth organizing out in the streets, risking deportation, mobilizing the Latino Vote, and pressuring for Deferred Action as something that has placed the immigrant debate as a top priority and the biggest pro-immigrant step in the past 26 years! AND GUESS WHAT..we made that happen along with our families! Orale! My Dear Stephen Nuo, I do not know what are your qualifications to write an article like this one, but you have shown a lack of knowledge, empathy, and compassion for the cause of the undocumented immigrants that is bewildering to me. I have had the PRIVILEGE to get to know many of the Dreamers and their situations, and let me tell you, they are from what you describe them. It is not because they feel entitled that they have been able to organize and travel the country to advocate for the cause, it is because they are trapped in a unbearable situation with no end in sight that they have gathered the courage to fight for their rights and for what they duly deserve as young undocumented immigrants who have not broken any law. Rather than look down on them, you should make them an example of what a group can achieve for the betterment of society when people put their mind together. And, by the way, I am a citizen, and I welcome this group into the country. The Dreamers will make a fabulous contribution to our society.