DREAMers: Open Letter from an ALIPAC member
To the DREAMers visiting Alipac:
I have read your stories; I have read your opinions. You are really in a no-man's land.
Even though you feel "American," legally you are not (thank your parents for that). You do not feel akin to the country of your birth (again, thank your parents for that). You feel like you are in limbo -- which you are -- and your dreams are on hold -- which they are. You want to get legal status, yet you cannot (short of marrying an American).
You think we do not understand you. But think about this: Everyone has a story. Including the millions of applicants waiting patiently for decades in their home countries. They are trying to do it the right way. Have you heard their stories? I have. Some of them have been petitioned since they were children and are now ineligible because the DHS is so slow they have aged out.
You, at least, have had the advantage of a free AMERICAN elementary/ HS education, thanks to Americans' tax dollars, an education I read most of you are proud of. FOR FREE. While you were getting your education for free, these legal applicants have had to pay for their education from K-HS in their home countries while waiting for approval. Is that fair?
FAIR. That is the thing I read about the most in your forums. "It's not fair." You sound like my daughter when she was your age. Need I say it again? "LIFE IS NOT FAIR." Your parents know this; that is why they risked everything to come here. Their countries could not offer them a future, the way America can offer its citizens a future.
What you fail to recognize is that laws are laws. And until you can change the law, the law is the law. I know you are trying to change the law, but you have been quashed every single time. Now why is that. Have any of you really thought about that? Maybe not, but I blame that more on your youth and inexperience. (BTW, I am 50 yrs old. We grow wiser and more realistic with age.) The answer is because you are outnumbered. Plain and simple. There are more Americans than illegals. You are in a country where you are outnumbered. Fair? Ummmm, How about Reality? I think it is a reality that in every country in the world, the citizens outnumber its illegal population. Is that fair? ABSOLUTELY! Because if it were the other way around, it would be another country! (You all say you are above-excellent students; I'm sure you can follow this logic.)
So until the law is changed -- which will not happen here in America, because in one year alone, more Americans have become aware of this issue of illegal immigration, all surveys now say 80% whereas one year ago it was 50% -- it is not gonna work for you.
What you need to do is take stock of your personal situations. If there is no way in h*ll that you will get legal, then go home. You are young enough to adapt to a new environment. What did Darwin say? It is only the most adaptable that will survive.
So don't waste any more time "dreaming" for America to lay out the welcome mat for you. It is just not going to happen. We outnumber you and we are politicized. The longer you stay, the harder it will be for you to adapt to your home country.
THINK ABOUT THESE FACTS:
You will not feel "unwanted" in your home country; you will feel free. You won't fall into depressions because of your illegal status. You can go out and drive a car with a valid license. You can go to a club and show a valid license. You won't have to lie and be deceitful, as you do now. You won't have to evade questions from your friends and LIE as to why you can't drive and aren't going to college or have a job (when you were THE valedictorian of your graduating year). In your home country, you can get an ID, buy a car, get a job, buy a house, go to school -- in other words, do what you have always wanted to do! You will be able to vote and change laws there! Yes, it is not going to be the same as America, but at least you are free and not hiding.
Now, at this point, a lot of you are saying: But I have to wait 10 years till I can come back!!! Ok, answer this: Is coming back to America -- legally -- worth 10 years? How fast did the last 10 years of your life go? A blink? When you keep busy, wherever you are, 10 years will go by like lightning. And isn't coming back to America -- legally -- worth it? Well, that's up to you to decide. I, personally, think it is. American citizenship is the MOST PRIZED CITIZENSHIP IN THE WHOLE WORLD. Fair? Absolutely. Talk to all the veterans who have lost a limb in the wars they have fought. Talk to the DEAD who gave up their lives for this country. Talk to the mothers, the wives, the sisters, the daughters of men who VOLUNTARILY went to war to defend America in WWI and WWII. The military in the Gulf War is all voluntary. Americans from all over the country are volunteering to lose their lives in defense of the nation of their birth. They are in the Middle East right now to defend Democracy and end Terrorism, and not just for America, but for the WORLD. This could be your friend, your classmate, your fraternity brother, your fellow Chess-Club member.
A NATION WHOSE CITIZENS ARE WILLING TO DIE FOR IT IS A GREAT NATION. MOREOVER, THESE SAME GREAT NATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY LAWS FOR THE PEOPLE AND BY WE THE PEOPLE. THESE NATIONS HAVE EARNED THEIR STANDING IN THE WORLD, THROUGH THE BLOOD AND SACRIFICE OF THEIR CITIZENRY AND IN THEIR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY.
I say this to you DREAMers: Your war (the DREAM Act) is lost forever. I'm sorry, but please try to accept it. Your parents MADE AN ADULT DECISION to take the "short cut" way into this country. ILLEGALLY. Is that my fault? NO. Is that yours? NO. Whose fault is it? YOUR PARENTS, THAT'S WHO. You can dice, slice, chop it a hundred different ways, but in the end, it is your parents' fault. YOU SHOULD BE HAVING A DIALOGUE WITH THEM RATHER THAN WITH THE US GOVT ABOUT YOUR FUTURE.
The sooner you can accept this, the sooner you can make a decision about your future. America is awake. The Sleeping Giant has awakened. We will NEVER accept you as LEGAL. Go home, be free, enjoy your liberties in your home country, be productive IN YOUR COUNTRY OF CITIZENSHIP. Learn to love the country of your birth. With your (free) American education, spread the word. Enlighten your countrymen. Make a difference where your voice can be counted. Unfortunately for you, your voice does not count here because you are not legal Americans. Fair? It is what it is. The sooner you can accept this, the sooner you can MOVE ON AND HAVE A BETTER LIFE THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE NOW.
