On Friday, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. government would grant work permits and halt the deportation of about 800,000 dreamers.
A dreamer is a child of an undocumented or illegal immigrant between 12 and 30 who was brought to the U.S. under the age of 16 and has lived here for more than five years.
Throughout their whole lives they have been looking over their shoulders with the fear of deportation. Many of them have not had the chance to obtain U.S. citizenship.
The president’s move last week changed everything.
Obama’s executive order could be called “The DREAM Act for Beginners” because it doesn’t encompass the full proposal of the DREAM Act.
The full version of the DREAM Act would allow these so-called dreamers to potentially gain U.S. citizenship once they have either served two years in the armed services or gone to an institution of higher learning.
This latest executive order doesn’t give them amnesty nor does it map out the way to citizenship. However, it does constitute a step toward future victories.
Obama’s decision to allow these dreamers to continue their lives in the U.S. is not a coincidence. Controversial stances taken by prominent leaders are rarely reached by accident.
Dreamers have been some of the hardest and most dedicated activists I’ve had the pleasure of working with. They have held countless call-ins, rallies and demonstrations. They have refused to remain in the shadows and have marched forward fighting for their freedom.
There’s an important lesson to learn from their persistence and passion: Activism works.
This move is quite a shift from the president’s previous immigration policies; Obama has deported more immigrants than any other president has in the past 60 years.
More than 1.1 million immigrants have been forced to leave our shores.
Faced with a government bent on getting rid of them, the dreamers didn’t shy away from the battle. They brought their megaphones and their best chants. They organized and kept going despite all odds against them.
It wasn’t a fluke that Obama granted the dreamers the freedom they deserve. It was their hard work and organizational skills. Movements aren’t spontaneous; they are carefully planned and worked on until every detail is hammered out. Time and effort goes into every facet of a demonstration.
The role of an activist is never easy. You are constantly faced with political repression and threats to your personal life.
Yet the importance of the cause is stronger than any perception of personal safety. The call to action resonates within, and you are ready to march with the hundreds of others who have woken up.
Their victory is an inspiration for any group currently living under oppression. Their triumph is one step forward toward equality throughout the nation.
Their hard work paid off and continues to prove that taking to the streets and fighting for what’s right does make a difference.
The dreamers still have a long road ahead as they continue to organize and work for their citizenship.
But every step forward is monumental and deserves to be celebrated. I salute all the dreamers and raise my fist in solidarity. Keep up the good work and onward to victory!
Michela Martinazzi is an art history junior at UF. Her column appears on Tuesdays. You can contact her at opinions@alligator.org.
