The DREAM Act for All of Us
When I first started medical school this past fall, I decided it would be a good idea to find some mentors at my school who shared my interest in immigrant health. So, modern girl that I am, I hopped online and entered “immigrant health Harvard Medical School” into my search browser.
Two of the first hits I had were for news stories on Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa and Dr. Harold Fernandez, both immigrants to the US, graduates of Harvard Medical School and now prominent physicians in the field. But that’s not all they have in common. As I read further, I learned that both of these physicians shared one other important feature: they both lived many years in the US and attended college as undocumented immigrants.
I was shocked. I had never really thought about what an undocumented immigrant would do if they wanted to go to medical school. Wouldn’t they be afraid of being found out and being deported? And yet, these prominent physicians had motivation and drive. They were able to make it through school, regularize their status, and now dedicate their lives to advancing medical practice in the US.
Today, there are many undocumented students throughout the United States who, like Drs. Quinones-Hinojosa and Fernandez, are intelligent and motivated to pursue higher education. However, not everyone is lucky enough to have access to the opportunities that these men did. Many institutions refuse to admit undocumented students, and they are not eligible for federal financial aid. As a result of these barriers, only a fraction of the over 65,000 undocumented students that graduate high school each year goes on to pursue higher education. The rest are left with few options: to work without papers, remain unemployed, or go back to their country of origin. For most of these youth, who were raised in the US and have their families here, even this last option is hardly feasible.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. The DREAM Act, a proposed federal law with broad public support, would provide undocumented students who were brought to the US before they were 16 and have been in the country for 5 years or longer, the opportunity to attend college or join the military without the barriers that come with being “undocumented.” It also provides a pathway to citizenship for youth that successfully complete their service or studies, to help ensure that they can work in their areas of specialty and continue to benefit our country. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 825,000 individuals would be affected by this legislation.
As I start off in my medical career, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to study and fulfill my own dreams. I am grateful for the social security number I was issued upon birth; I am grateful for the federal loans and grants that I depend on to get through school, an investment in my future. At the same time, I realize that many of my peers, over 2 million youth, have not been afforded the same opportunities due to their undocumented status. These youth are my neighbors, friends, and potential future colleagues. It just doesn’t seem fair that we can be so similar, yet a few lucky cards thrown in my favor (and not in theirs) can so alter our fates.
So now, I have a new dream: that the DREAM Act be passed. With the DREAM Act in place, all of us will benefit. We will have more excellent doctors in our communities, more youth in school, and move one step closer towards recognizing the value and humanity of all undocumented immigrants in our society.
