It seems that the Congress is exercising some caution in enacting immigration reform, possibly because of a feared backlash from the American public. We just saw today that governor Elliot Spitzer back down from what was for some, a hair-raising proposal (giving driver’s licenses to undocumented aliens).

Although the DREAM Act was overturned, it will resurface again. And while there seems to be some type of anti-DREAM Act movement, I don’t see why we can’t offer an ‘amnesty’ to a couple of select individuals.

I, myself, come from a family of immigrants who have lawfully entered the United States. Sure, it’s not fair to me and my family and all the millions of immigrant families who have taken measures to come to this country in the proper manner. Make no mistake: the government needs to quell the inflow of illegal immigrants. The DREAM Act, however, does not concern the entire immigration issue; it concerns a certain subpopulation of grade school minors.

Why should we offer restrictions for these children to obtain a college education? In the case of New York, these individuals would have an easier time funding their education. No one is going to give them a free ride. The DREAM Act stipulates that they have to be successfully on their way to the completion of a 4-year degree. Why not offer a challenge to the individuals who have come here illegally to do something the right way?

For those who are concerned about the ‘larger’ problems of immigration not being solved, I will say that the issue of immigration can only be solved through small pieces of legislation that are aimed at certain sects of people. If we attempt to solve the immigration in one shebang, (1) it will take too long, and (2) it will be a mess much larger than the one we started with.