The American dream. The ideal life of equal opportunity that people aspire to, work hard for, sweat for, cry for, and risk their lives for. As college students we are working hard to pursue a dream. What if while you were trying to reach this dream, someone took away your opportunity?

According to an article posted on CNN titled, “Trump ends DACA but gives Congress window to save it,” on Tuesday, Sept. 5 President Trump did exactly this to approximately 800,000 young people.

According to the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It is an American immigration policy introduced by the Obama administration in 2012. DACA protects eligible immigrants who entered the United States as children from deportation and gives them access to work permits. These people are also known as DREAMers.

These DREAMers contribute to our society in a myriad of ways. They are getting an education, working and starting businesses. All of these people support the growth of the American economy, yet our government and the Republican Party wants to strip their rights away. The government’s message is that they cannot strive for success because of the color of their skin and their origin of birth. This is wrong. It is embarrassing and it is inhumane.

“These folks have contributed tremendously to our country. If we want to go beyond the economic to the academic, diversity drives innovation. Being a DACAmented student allows you to bring forth all of your ideas to contribute to society,” said Dr. Paloma Vargas Assistant Professor and Hispanic Serving Institute Coordinator at Cal Lutheran University.

For people to drive these young people away is pure racism. They have a dream just like everyone else. They are worthy of everything an American with citizenship is worthy of.

“This country was built on immigrants. This country was built on the backs of people that we don’t thank enough. If you are a DREAMer, if you are a DACA student, documented or undocumented, you are welcome here. You are a part of American History.” said Vargas.

According to an article on Deadline titled, “Donald Trump insists he Does ‘not favor punishing children’….for actions of parents,” Trump said, “At the same time, I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

What actions did these children’s parents take that there is a need to inflict any form of punishment? These people came into the country with a dream to fulfill America’s promise of a better life. They came from nothing and risked the little that they had so their children could have all the opportunities that they didn’t.

The problem with American society right now is that it is too privileged. They live in a country where they are protected and given opportunity. They have no idea what it is like to be hungry. These immigrants are hungry for life, success and opportunity. Americans stand on their high pedestals and instead of offering a hand, they bully those who don’t have nearly as much. America should be ashamed of these actions.

Cal Lutheran stands behind all those affected by this action. In an email sent to Cal Lutheran’s college of Arts and Sciences, its Dean and professor of political science Dr. Jessica Lavariega Monforti wrote, “The College of Arts & Sciences stands firm in its commitment to all of our students, faculty, and staff, including DREAMers as well as other members of our community who are DACA recipients or undocumented.”

Cal Lutheran University’s President Chris Kimball also sent an email to the Cal Lutheran community on Sept. 6 to assure everyone that Cal Lutheran is an inclusive campus and supports all of its DREAMers.

My hopes are that all DREAMers continue with their dream. I hope they are not silenced and they continue their education and their jobs. I hope they prove the people wrong. Our hope now lies in congress, so do your part and call your representatives.

According to the U.S. House of Representatives website you can call your representatives at:
(202) 224-3121.

You can also access the following link and call lawmakers and urge them to stand with our DREAMers at: https://dreamacttoolkit.org

Maryssa Rillo 
Opinion Editor