Deporting the Potential of the Country

The "smart immigration enforcement", a policy enacted by Obama in 2011, was intended to order Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) prosecutors to concentrate their efforts on removing criminals. The year saw a record 396,000 deportations, mostly to Latin American countries. Despite their orders, and although nearly half that number consisted of convicts and felons, ICE prosecuted a remarkable number of students and professionals with no criminal records, many of whom had resided in the United States since childhood.

One example is 18 year old Daniela Palaez of Miami, Florida who was recently ordered by ICE to return to her native Columbia by the 28th of this month. This high school valedictorian who has lived in the U.S. since age 4 has been gaining tremendous regional and national support.

Palaez has a 6.7 GPA, is a student tutor, and leader in her community. That's a hell of a lot more than I can say of myself in high school. I dropped out of the Math and Science magnet program, and only had a high GPA due to the overload of music and performance classes I was enrolled in (easy A's). My best friend however worked her ass off taking AP biology and history, challenged herself with extra-curricular activities, and took on leadership roles. She was an all-American English speaking cheerleader in a Hollister sweatshirt, and also in the country illegally. I went on to an expensive Liberal Arts college then on to business school, where I've finally learned to apply myself. She cannot get a driver's license, job, or private scholarships, and takes a few classes at the community college every semester.

Jonathan Padilla offers a succinct reflection on the results of these two examples and the many more occuring everyday:

Most of the business leaders in Silicon Valley and beyond agree that attracting the best-educated workforce possible makes America's economy not only stronger but also more competitive in the long-term. Our immigration policies however, seem to be limiting the flow of high-skilled workers and our ability to concentrate the best minds in the world here in the United States. Limits on H-1B visas mean companies can't attract all the top-talent they need to keep innovation moving as rapidly as possible and the failure of Congress to act on issues like the DREAM Act means that tens-of-thousands of undocumented immigrants who are tying to invest in a better life through education will not be able to use those skills to make America better.

Rather than exclusively striving to increase manufacturing jobs, the United States should be working to ensure that the ambition and hard work of individuals in this country who want to contribute to the potential of the economy in a meaningful way, are rewarded. I believe The Startup Visa Act and The DREAM Act offer two steps in the right direction.