Tackling the anti-DREAM Act rhetoric

Most of the online news articles referring to the DREAM Act and undocumented students are marked with anti-illegal immigration comments ranging from "illegal is illegal" to "they are criminals, deport their a$$es" to "send them back home with their parents."

However ignorant and uninformed the comments, we cannot ignore that the opposition is organized. A fellow DREAM Act friend of mine suggested that it was time we took on the task of developing answers to their comment spam. Answers with facts, answers that are coherent and intelligent, and answers that are mass-distributed. This involves a careful survey of what people say about us and the DREAM Act,  dissecting each argument, and noting several counterpoints to each point.

Are we going to change minds? Maybe, we can change minds by providing correct information for those who are ambivalent and uninformed, but not the ignorant masses who insist and see undocumented students as the enemy. And that is the real problem — we are the new scapegoats; too many people fighting over the small piece of pie are being pushed to believe that if we got rid of all "illegals," their problems would miraculously disappear. I have seen blog posts with doubtful statistics about how illegal immigrants are more expensive than the war in Iraq. That is utterly preposterous, and yet, we cannot let such myths escalate into grand truths.

What we can achieve through this little project is an organized front to thwart attacks on our DREAMs and aspirations, our character, sincerity and hard-work, and our commitment to this country. Silence is consent, and letting ignorant spammers continue to bask in the oblivion of their ignorance is no longer an option.