Why Progressives Should Oppose the DREAM Act, Part I

 

The underlying purpose of the DREAM Act is to allow the United States to recruit “non-citizens” into its armed forces and use them as disposable cannon fodder for the colonial wars it wages abroad.

I hate to admit it, but I was quite pleased to hear that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) was unable to muster up enough votes last Saturday to win passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. (the so-called “DREAM Act“)

No, my reasons for opposing the DREAM Act have absolutely nothing to do with any of the silly arguments conjured up by rabid racists who’ve argued this legislation was a form of “backdoor amnesty” that would grant citizenship to “millions of illegal aliens.”

In fact, as a longtime defender of immigrant rights myself, I personally believe that the United States should seriously consider immediately legalizing the estimated 12 million undocumented workers who currently live and work within this country.

In my opinion, the DREAM Act is a reactionary–if not racist–piece of legislation which was crafted with the underlying purpose of luring undocumented workers into the armed forces to be used as disposable cannon fodder for colonial wars the U.S. wages abroad.

That it includes provisions benefiting a small handful fortunate enough to attend college doesn’t fundamentally alter the fact the DREAM Act’s sole objective is to get “non-citizens”–mostly darker skinned folk–to do the dirty work of maintaining the American empire.

Historically this is nothing new as British and French Imperialists aggressively recruited or conscripted hundreds of thousands of “non-citizens” into their militaries in an effort to defend their far-flung colonial possessions around the globe.

Perhaps it should be no surprise to anyone that previous versions of the DREAM Act were championed by President George W. Bush out of consternation that the wars he started in Iraq and Afghanistan would force him to reinstate the draft.

And like Bush, the Democrats support it because they too are concerned that as President Barack Obama rapidly expands overseas military commitments, more pressure will be placed on the armed forces to maintain adequate levels of staffing.

The Democrats also like the DREAM Act because they use it as a political ploy to make people think they are “pro-immigrant,” when in reality, they are implementing draconian policies that further criminalize undocumented workers and deport them in record numbers.

In a subsequent article I intend to post about this matter here on the Orange Juice blog, I’m going explore some of these issues a tad bit further, pointing out that the DREAM Act is pretty much a nightmare, and why progressives should oppose it.

[In the above photograph, French officers speak with soldiers conscripted from West Africa during World War I]


About Duane Roberts