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The Dream Act, Blatantly Selfish?

by on Dec. 10, 2010, under Border Issues, Uncategorized

Your country is a wreck, your relatives are being, kidnapped, extorted and murdered. Your own people are being deported to your country with no hope of survival while you listen to activists, demonstrate and demand citizenship for free. People all over the world are fighting for their freedom and you want it given to you.

Photo By Karl W Hoffman

Activism: is it really a necessity to keeping a country in balance or is it just a frustration to the absence of a real revolution? I am sure there are enough directionless activists here in the United States and in Mexico that would join a good honest rebellion. Speaking of rebellion, it seems that some students have no problem gathering together for demonstrations, laughing in the face of a riot squad or arrogantly defying the status quo. These are all great qualities when applied to a definite direction, for a real cause or maybe a real movement for the freedom and peace of a truly suppressed people.

Photo By Karl W Hoffman

We have educated 100s of thousands of young Mexicans that where brought here illegally and many millions more who came here illegally. Most of them have worked very hard. We have taught them how democracy works and what a better and more prosperous life can be. We taught them our history and how we fought for freedom, equality and how we ousted a tyrannous government and the honor that comes with such an accomplishment. We as a nation have done the best we could to prepare a generation of Mexicans to return to their country with the tools to rebuild a great nation of their own and prepare it for their returning parents who will be very proud of them. Just for a moment can you imagine if this new generation banded together and asked the United States Government, politely, for the funding, the training and the protection to go home to rebuild their country? Would the House and the Senate argue about this? Probably just the politicians and lobbyist connected with drug money.  Besides solving the border and immigration debacle, and reuniting their families, nothing is more profitable than a good war and especially one that gets lots of support or just maybe, even has a good reason.

Cleaning up a country ruled by an upper-class system, corrupt leaders, police and military that are controlled by warring Cartels with a rapidly growing middle eastern terrorist presence should provide plenty of opportunity in constructive areas for humanitarian organizations and excite and motivate the most dedicated activists while weeding out the posers and easy street freeloaders.

Then, with great satisfaction, Mexicans could attend their own universities, teach their own people, enjoy a more balanced and growing economy, be truly proud of their own country and we all could become better neighbors.  This should be their Dream Act.

Of course it does take dedication, hard work and sacrifice to bring the dream of a fee country to fruition, something that people have been doing for their own countries for thousands of years.

Karl W Hoffman
Documentary Film Producer
Freelance Photojournalist
Multimedia Reporter
kwharizona@gmail.com
For information on photography exhibits and prints, lectures, interviews, photo usage, border tours and to order the documentary on DVD and view Living on the Border documentary trailer visit livingontheborder.com

This entry was posted on Friday, December 10th, 2010 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Border Issues, Uncategorized. Tags for this post: , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • http://www.livingontheborder.com Karl W Hoffman

    The United States during WWII Didn’t bring all of the people from Europe to America, but went to help fight and restore order and support the people of each country.

  • Abesmith

    Hey Karl,
    It’s a relief to find an interesting, level headed post, amongst the echo chamber that is usually the blog-o-sphere.
    However, I want to speak as an undocumented student for a moment and tell you why my specific demographic of immigrants are so unwilling to go back to their country of birth. My story is that I was born in Saudi Arabia but have been raised in Florida since the age of two; thus, I know nothing of my birth country, I speak little Arabic, and I consider America to be my home country. In fact, I thought I was a bona-fide U.S. citizen until my parents told me otherwise during high school.
    So knowing my situation, people usually tell me two thing: why don’t you earn your citizenship or why don’t you just go back to your home country (assuming that it can’t be that bad.) First, the easy question. I learned a lot about the immigration system  in a mad dash to find a way to atone with the law and secure my place as a legal resident and university student inside the United States. I learned, though, that undocumented students are in a unique position because they were brought here and made to overstay their visa — usually a tourist visa — at such a young age. An overstayed visa of over 180 days instantly changes a legal immigrant into an illegal immigrant, and leaves them with only three options: either marry into a green card, leave the US and be barred from reentry for 10 years, or wait for reform.  So unbeknown to me, at age 2 and a half my options for legalization were unrealistic.
    Second is the question of just going back. As I said I don’t have any live experience or memories of Saudi Arabia, but from speaking to my mother, knowing many Arab international students, and doing my own reading I’ve learned that it’s not a country I want to live and work in. I want to study Computer Science and start my own businesses, live the silicon valley dream, and become incredibly skilled from studying at one of the US’s many fine schools. My mind won’t be wasted in the U.S. But in Saudi Arabia the stories different: schools are limited and knowledge doesn’t get you anywhere. Instead people care more about family names and status. Trivial things decide your success in Saudi Arabia, and they have little infrastructure (besides pumping oil.)
    Sorry if this post was a little long-winded, I certainty didn’t expect to write so much. If you have any question, please feel free to reply, and get back to you. I’m very familiar with both the immigration system and the DREAM Act.

  • Sarah J

    Why should they go back to their country when U.S. can invade it and bring democracy? Isnt that what they are trying to do in Iraq? Oh wait a minute…that was a failure. So what makes you think that if the biggest army in the world cannot bring democracy to a country…that these undocumented youth can do it? Lets get real. Why did your ancestors choose to come to America? They should have fought too.
    Besides, the U.S. government is good at fooling its citizens. If you think that this is a real democracy then maybe you should re-think this. Tax breaks for the wealthy few…this is def not a democracy!

  • Hugh Holub

    Reminds me of a speech I hear from a high ranking Mexican official wh complained about all thse people who had lived and worked in the US and did come back home bringing all these radical ideas with them that the government should serve the people and that there ought to be a fair and impartial system of justice in Mexico.He even went o on to complain about US holidays becoming popular in Mexico like Halloween.

    My guess is Mexico would oppose injecting hundreds of thousands US educated folks into their country.

    Mexico avoids a buildup of  revolutionary pressure inside their country from folks who have no place in their economy by exporting them to the US. They don’t want them back.

  • leftfield

    …that the government should serve the people and that there ought to be a fair and impartial system of justice in Mexico.

    If this does catch on in Mexico, maybe we should ask them how we might accomplish the same.

    • Hugh Holub

      Our system isn’t perfect, but it beats the heck out of Mexico’s.

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