Support the DREAM Act

    I had a long talk last night with a former student, and her story brought me back to an ethical/political dilemma. To start this discussion, know that I'm largely a rule-follower. However, I have most certainly been know to bend/break them when I feel I've the moral high ground. I certainly realize that said high ground is subject to perspective, but that most certainly does not stop me, and I don't stop those of opposing persuasions who act similarly. I draw the line when someone gets physically or financially hurt.
   The topic here is immigration. I've long felt that those who follow the rules should be allowed in, no exceptions, and the more the merrier, but those who enter illegally shouldn't expect any good graces ('amnesty') later on. Beginning my first year teaching in NYC, however, this argument was seriously challenged, and I think that Thursday night, my mind has changed....
    Here's the student's story, purposely sparing some details.
She arrived in the USA from Central America at the age of 14. Her mom was a legal immigrant beforehand, and today, her mother and two siblings are legal residents, while she and one sibling are illegal even though they applied for residency at the same time as one other sibling who received residency. And that's where the family still stands. Four with green cards and two without--all in basically the same situation. Who the heck thought to say yes to one sibling and no to two others when they had the exact same situation. If the couple of years difference age was the difference-maker, then that is a rule or system that needs to be changed.
    Clearly the student in question (trust me on this one) would make America a better place. Why not bend/break/change rules? The same would be true of all illegal immigrants who, while bearing the burden of an illegal status in which they, as children, did not choose for themselves, graduate high school in the USA and get college acceptance.
    Now cue the proposed legislation called the DREAM Act. I don't know the details, but basically it would grant residency to students, such as my former student who is now an honor-roll college student, paying her own way through because she doesn't have that "nine-digit-number" that would make her eligible for federal financial aid.
   Like the artificial colonial border that I lived along in Senegal, this family is unnecessarily divided by arbitrary imperial law. In this case the law is wrong, and my sense of rule of law is washed away.  The right thing to do is to let these students stay, legally, and give them a path to citizenship. America would be a better place. I wholeheartedly support the Dream Act.