Try some real facts about Dream Act

It appears that letter writer Jackson Rodgers, rather than syndicated columnist Cynthia Tucker, is doing a disservice to the public with his interpretation of Senate Bill 2205, or the Dream Act.

The act would have provided a way for the many students who have been in the U.S. without permission an avenue to legal status, provided they came here as children and complete college or military service.

The thinking behind this humane proposal was quite simple: children should not be punished for the misdeeds of their parents.

Rodgers would have us believe the real reason the Dream Act was defeated was not racism, but an overlooked provision in the bill that would have fast-tracked a student's family to U.S. citizenship.

If Rodgers had actually read the bill rather than believe yet another immigration myth, he would realize the falsity of his claim. As an attorney who has practiced exclusively in the area of immigration for more than 15 years, I can assure you that the Dream Act provides no such "fast track."

To the contrary, a student who qualifies would receive conditional residency status for one year and only after completing college would he or she be granted full residency status and the right to then apply for U.S. citizenship. Thereafter, any family members of that student would have to apply through the normal legal channels to obtain permanent residence status through that citizen.

For parents who had entered the country without permission more than six months before such application and remained here during that time, the only method by which those parents could actually obtain their permanent resident status would be to first depart the U.S. and then wait abroad for 10 years before returning.

For brothers and sisters in that same situation, they also would have to wait abroad for 10 years from their departure, although the wait for the actual residence could be as long as 15 years.

Was the opposition motivated by racism? Perhaps. Was it motivated by misinformation and heartlessness? Definitely. And although those who oppose the Dream Act continue with their "we are a nation of laws" mantra, they seem to forget that we are also a nation of doing the right thing. And to punish these kids for something their parents did seems a bit like punishing a child for his mother stealing a piece of bread to feed him.

Shirley Sadjadi

Elgin