The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of

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"..basically the legal system made us illegal…" – Sonia, senior at Loyola Academy.

Students at Loyola Academy have put together this three-part documentary in support of the DREAM Act legislation. 

I was drawn to Sonia's story because it resembled mine in so many ways. She immigrated with her mother to the United States with a proper visa but as they waited for their paperwork under their aunt that has taken more than a decade to process, their legal status ran out rendering Sonia–who has practically grown up here–an 'illegal' American.

Most immigrants have little idea about the lengthy visa process before they came here–my parents certainly did not. They weren't playing with a full deck of cards as they are today–completely assimilated after a decade of living here and knowledgable about the American immigration system. And it is a bit hypocritical to claim that 'they should have known' before coming here when most American citizens probably cannot pass their own citizenship test, let alone know much about immigraton to the United States.