Education, Freedom Should Be EARNed

It has been 14 months since Manuel Bartsch, a constituent of mine, was first detained by our immigration officials because, as an 11-year-old boy, he had unknowingly overstayed his 90-day visa. Manuel’s step-grandfather brought him from Germany only to abandon him years later, an immigrant in the only country he called home. Now Manuel has become the symbol for a broken immigration system where our sheriffs cannot get federal authorities to take custody of violent alien criminals because they are busy detaining harmless children. That is why I introduced the Education Access for Rightful Noncitizens Act (EARN Act), which would allow undocumented children to earn legal status if they meet certain criteria.

Each year, 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from high school. Many of them are future doctors, lawyers and soldiers who were brought to the United States as children, only to find out later that they lacked the proper documentation to legally remain in America. They call themselves Americans and the EARN Act allows them to work towards that honor if they meet several conditions and have dedicated 2 years towards a college education or service in the U.S. military.

The EARN Act is a fresh start and an opportunity — not a handout. It does not benefit aliens who have just come aground looking to piggyback on the American dream, but rather those people who have spent years working to become Americans. We must make our immigration system fair to the young people who are being punished by their guardians’ mistakes. Our broken system is harming both our national security and our image in the world as the nation accepting the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”