Why We Need The DREAM Act Now by Victoria Donoghue

Why We Need The DREAM Act Now For some time now, lawmakers have insisted that immigration reform, if it is to happen, must be comprehensive, dealing with all of the problems with our broken system at once. A piecemeal approach, they say, is not acceptable. Suggestions that certain pressing issues be dealt with separately have been flatly rejected.

However, efforts at so-called Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) have gone nowhere for years. Lobbying efforts in March 2010 by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) made it clear that CIR is not going to pass anytime soon.

Given this state of affairs, perhaps now is the time to address separately our most pressing immigration issues. And nothing could be more pressing than the one facing many talented young people in our country. In his July 1, 2010 remarks on CIR, President Obama pointed out that many of the 11 million illegal immigrants amongst us came to the US with young children in tow.

These children grew up as Americans; they were educated in our schools, speak English fluently, and have embraced American culture as their own. As President Obama stated, many "only discover their illegal status when they apply for college or a job."