10:36am | The President of the California State Student Association, and a CSULB graduate, Christopher Chavez has released an opinion-editorial statement calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to Citizenship for undocumented residents who go to college or serve in the military. The House of Representatives approved the bill last week, but the U.S. Senate postponed a vote.

Op Ed: The Senate Should Vote on the DREAM Act

By Christopher Chavez, President, California State Student Association; Alex Pader, Student Senate for California Community Colleges; and Claudia Magana, President, University of California Student Association
 
It’s amazing to think about what can happen over the course of a decade…yet, what is even more amazing is seeing how long it takes Washington to catch on to a good idea.
 
For almost a decade now, students from every state, political persuasion and background have worked together with the goal of passing the DREAM Act.  This bill, which has been introduced repeatedly since 2001, gives an opportunity to those who had no choice – young people who were brought to the United States themselves, meeting a number of stringent legal, time and character requirements, the potential beneficiaries of the bill would need to either serve our nation through its armed forces or attend college.  In other words, these communities. This is why the California State Student Association, the Student Senate for California’s  Community Colleges and the University of California Student Association, the voices of well over 3 million college students, support the DREAM Act. 
 
We know that immigration is a hot‐button issue and one that requires thoughtful consideration.  Yet, every moment spent in partisan bickering and political horse‐trading means that another student has the door of opportunity closed on them.  However, should the “business as usual” attitude in the Senate prevail, there will be national repercussions as well.  If the DREAM Act were to become law, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the law will generate $1.4 billion over the next ten years. 

Certainly, closer to solving our problems.  While that amount of money might be chump change on Wall Street, it’s certainly nothing to sneeze at on Main Street.
 
Ten years is a long time to fight against cynicism, naysayers and the political game.  Yet, thanks to the House of Representatives, we are almost there.  The Senate has a choice: close the door to our students and a better future for our nation, or allow our students to prove themselves and give them the opportunity to make their dreams into reality.
 
Many Americans have lost faith in Congress’s ability to do the right thing…here’s an opportunity for Congress to prove it can.  Pass the DREAM Act.