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Wang
Yuan Wang

Professor Ogden

ENGL001A

July 21, 2022

The Dream Act and Immigration

The dangerous song of a family's desire and love for a nation ripped apart by conflict and

gang violence is included within Zamora's UNACCOMPANIED. These poems are based on the

experiences of a nine-year-old child who traveled hundreds of miles by himself and saw racism,

economic inequality, and borderland politics everywhere he went. Zamora reimagines home,

challenging the idea of the "American Dream," blending music and memory to confront the

issues that split families apart and, if we're lucky, encourage the creation of new lives.

Immigration has long been a controversial topic. Especially when children and families traveling

to the United States from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua confront

difficult circumstances. The American authorities arrest these families and question them

extensively about their ancestry and home country for a period of days to months. They travel to

the United States to escape the riots and unrest that are common there. Based on resettlement

rules and decisions, they want infrastructure, employment, food, money, and resources for

establishing a new life. The US Department of Homeland Security lacks the infrastructure and

housing necessary to accommodate the large number of Central American families seeking

asylum in the country. In certain parts of the USA, there are not enough healthcare facilities and

medical professionals to address those who are living in inadequate socioeconomic situations.

Thus, families of immigrants who enter the nation illegally to seek asylum have been split up by

the American authorities. Many children's separation from their families as a result of this. The
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government orders immigration offices to send the kids to foster care after classifying them as

unaccompanied youngsters, while some of the parents are detained for unlawfully entering the

country.

The substantial physical and emotional health impacts that might result from a kid being

separated from their parents have the potential to cause neurological damage. Cases of sadness,

hunger linked to poor feeding practices, and aggression against other children or caregivers are

likely to occur as a result of some of the youngsters spending their time in foster care without

knowing where their parents are. Similarity, children being separated from their parents has also

been linked to incidences of depression in parents, which has led some of them to enter guilty

pleas in court in the hopes of getting their kids back. One dad chose suicide after being forcibly

taken away from his child (Miroff, 2018). Some children have been completely removed from

their families as a result of the immigration administration's refusal to permit family reunion,

which would enable families to communicate after being split up (Ataiants, 2018). Some of the

kids were being forced to share uncomfortable sleeping quarters and sleep without basic bedding.

Additionally, they were unable to obtain food and medical supplies while they were there, which

raised their risk of disease (Ataiants, 2018). Due to a lack of capacity for all the children at the

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents, some youngsters have been forced to live in military

facilities, warehouses, or temporary tents. Families that split up have an impact on both the

parents and the kids. Due to their separation from their families, children are more prone to

experience neurological issues, whilst parents may experience depression or become aggressive.

For instance, in Zamora’s poem “Second Attempt Crossing”, he experienced the horror of having

to “jump on your shoulders, and we ran from the white trucks, then their guns” (Zamora 13).

Immigrant families should be handled with better methods.

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Additionally, many Americans hold illegal immigrants accountable for the country’s

economic woes. The government has tightened its restrictions on illegal immigration in reaction

to the outcry against illegal immigrants. Today, a large number of illegal immigrants must worry

about being deported back to the country they left. Some illegal immigrants are too young or

were when their parents took them across the border. The Dream Act, also known as

Development Relief and Education for Alien Youngsters, is a piece of legislation that will enable

some minors who are undocumented to become citizens of the United States (Gaviria, 2018).

Despite not having been enacted, the law might really benefit people who were transported

across the border as youngsters and have now become part of the American culture. Since the

Dream Act legislation gives certain illegal immigrants a chance to become citizens, it ought to be

enacted. They should have the same possibilities that our predecessors did when they first

immigrated to America since they were brought here as kids, have grown up here, and are

citizens now.

Thus, is it important for the policymakers to understand that diversity is crucial in

America because it allows for the development of newer viewpoints and ideas that could benefit

society in America. Giving certain immigrants the chance to remain in our country will increase

America's diversity. We could be enhancing our trade with countries in Central by allowing

Mexican immigrants into our nation. Allowing certain immigrants to work toward citizenship

would save expenses since America is in debt and must pay money to locate and deport illegal

immigrants. Historically, America is a country of immigrants. We are all essentially foreigners

since Europeans were the first to colonize America, followed by immigrants from all over the

world. We shouldn't stop Mexican immigrants from coming here in order to pursue the same

goals as our forefathers, who came here in order to flourish and enjoy freedom. Immigrants
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should be accorded the same privileges as citizens. Mexican immigrants take a hazard by

sending their kids to the United States in order to get away from the dangers back home and

increase their chances of success. For many years, America has supported immigration.

Deporting unauthorized immigrants back to Mexico would go against the country's claim to be a

nation of freedom and opportunity. With the lyrics "Give me your tired, your hungry, your

huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore," America

presents a promise of the possibilities for wealth and success (Gaviria, 2018). Send these, the

stranded and destitute people, to me. By passing the Dream Act, we should be loyal to the phrase

"I lift my torch beside the golden door."

In the final analysis, Unaccompanied travels across a harsh landscape where families are

separated and reunited, coyotes lead migrants astray, and "the thin white man let us drink from a

hose / while pointing his shotgun," with an uncompromising vision, plainspoken language, and a

mix of Spanish and English. The greatest way to handle immigration is through the Dream Act.

The measure improves the lives of both Americans and unauthorized immigrants. If the United

States has any compassion or humanity, it will provide immigrants the right to a better life.
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Work Cited

Ataiants, Janna et al. “Unaccompanied Children at the United States Border, a Human Rights

Crisis that can be Addressed with Policy Change.” Journal of immigrant and minority

health vol. 20,4 (2018): 1000-1010. doi:10.1007/s10903-017-0577-5

Gaviria, Marcela, and Martin Smith. Separated: Children at the Border. PBS, Public

Broadcasting Service, 31 July 2018,

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/separated-children-at-the-border/.

Miroff, Nick. “The Border Is Tougher to Cross than Ever. but There's Still One Way into

America.” TheWashingtonPost, WP Company, 24 Oct. 2018,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/border-asylum-claims/.

Zamora, Javier. Unaccompanied, Copper Canyon Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pasadena/detail.action?docID=5355731.