Dartbeat Asks: Immigration Laws
“Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity,” President Barack Obama said in his inaugural speech on Monday. With promises of reform on the horizon and the bipartisan rhetoric emerging from legislators on both sides of the aisle, immigration reform is sure to be a hot topic during the President’s next term. Here’s what Dartmouth students had to say on the subject.
—Josh Konieczny ’13
I have a few friends on this campus and it’s really a shame, they’ve grown up here, they’re pretty American [but] they can’t travel and getting work is a big deal. The idea of this huge wall at the borders we really have — what purpose is really served? My view might be slightly skewed because I’ve talked to people who have crossed the border. — Eva Xiao ’14
I believe pretty strongly that if you’re going to be an asset to the country — if you’re going to work hard, you’re going to get an education, you’re going to give back — you should be allowed to be in the country. —Lindsay Newton ’15
I don’t think I’m very well versed on it. I just know about the DREAM Act, and some of the state laws that have been passed against immigration in Arizona or Alabama, or some other places down south. I don’t really know much about it, like what immigration reform really means. —Katelyn Walker ’14
Regarding immigration reform, I really want the DREAM Act to get passed. I really think it should have been passed a long time ago. All the arguments against it are just not strong. The good that will come out of it is much greater than any harm. A lot of people say that allowing those students to get citizenship and take government loans would detract from other people, but in reality that doesn’t even happen. You can say the same thing about giving work to illegal immigrants — the jobs they take are jobs that American workers don’t even take in the first place. —Sharjeel Syed ’16
Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., addresses the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gTOcPNo_bXY
New immigration rule helps undocumented families: Cindy Rodriguez, CNN
Government report on unauthorized immigrant demographics: Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2011
PHOTO GALLERY: Arizona’s Anti-Illegal immigration law: Politico Staff, Politico
Federation for American Immigration Reform: FAIR