MIRA Blog

State of the Union addresses immigration's empty promises

In a predictable State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama hit all the standard political talking points; homeland security, education, jobs and the economy. He did however take a moment to discuss higher education and the challenges that young immigrants face when attempting to advance their education. Obama laid out the facts once again: “Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: the fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation.” While the DREAM Act would have gone a long way in solving this problem the approval and implementation has yet to be seen, leaving hundreds of thousands of young immigrants in limbo when it comes to educational advancement.

Obama also spoke briefly about the potential role of international students, saying, “Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.” Why not keep those newly educated young minds here in the states? A statistic from the National Science Foundation states that 47% of U.S. engineers are immigrants, as are 24% of U.S. Scientists. The disciplines of engineering and science are of paramount importance if the United States is to maintain its status as a leading global innovator. If immigrant populations are contributing substantially to science and engineering, shouldn’t we be rewarding and encouraging their work while also creating clear paths to citizenship?

Without directly referencing it, Obama eluded to legislation like the DREAM Act: “let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.” Although states like California have passed their own legislation to help the undocumented get to college the need for federal cooperation is essential.

While the issue of higher education is only one aspect of the increasingly complex immigration debate it does speak volumes to how pressing the need is for comprehensive immigration reform. Obama’s immigration rhetoric is perpetually positive yet increasingly redundant. Now more than ever those on both sides of this debate are looking for action and the time for that action to take place is long overdue.