February 17^th, 2015. It was the night before my dreams would come true. I would get to pay for my school. My mom would be free from her daily 16-hour job at Krauszers. I could walk into a club with my own ID. For the first time, I would be free from living under a shadow. After my long bath, I grabbed my phone. I had received two texts from my cousin who is a lawyer. The first was a link to the article “White House puts immigration plans on hold after ruling” and second said “Sorry babes, just more red tape”.

The Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – DACA – stated that “on June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization.” In 2014, President Obama announced expanding the policy for people who came here at an older age and broadening these guidelines to help 4.9 million immigrant students. Due to a federal court order, though, there is a hold on this newer policy. Judge Andrew Hanen blocked Obama’s plans for immigration and we still have not received any decision from the Federal court.

When one argues against DACA, they fail to think about the 4.9 other students like me who are just trying to support themselves and their family. Is it a crime to want a job? Is it a crime to desire to travel around the world? Is it a crime to want to be able to get a good education? Why is all this red tape preventing the progress that can be made?

In a recent newscast, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker stated that he believes that immigrants should go back to their country of origin, and that he does not believe in amnesty for citizenship. The 20 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. have created lives here, yet everything that they have done to help progress of U.S economy is forgotten. It is time to take off this red tape and provide equal opportunity for every student in America. To support this cause, I encourage you to volunteer with organizations such as CUNY Citizenship Now and United We Dream.