The U.S. House of Representatives proposed a piece of legislation in 2009 called the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or the DREAM act, which would help undocumented minors pursue higher education or service in the military.

Under the DREAM Act, there is a list of qualifications that a person must meet to participate. That person must have entered the country before the age of 16, lived in the country for five consecutive years, have graduated from high school or attained a GED, and be in good moral standing.

“Nearly 65,000 youths don’t get the opportunity to live out their dreams because they are smeared with the title of illegal immigrant,” according to the DREAM Act website. “These youths have lived in the United States for most of their lives and just want to be recognized for what they are, Americans.”

Rocky, a 22-year-old illegal immigrant who wanted to use a pseudonym for fear of deportation, came to the United States when he was 15-years-old with his family, which consists of his mother, father and two brothers. The trip was a 36-hour bus ride to Alabama.

“At first, getting used to everything was really hard,” he said. “I couldn’t understand a word of what people said to me.”

Things began to fall into place as soon as Rocky and his brothers began attending high school. Rocky and his brother both graduated and had their hopes set on higher education.

“I got into a community college, but my brother wanted to be a doctor, and there’s not a place that will accept him just because he’s undocumented,” said Rocky. “It’s just unfair because all we want is to have a better future.”

UNA, like most universities in Alabama, will not accept undocumented immigrants because they do not have the social security number needed to fill out paperwork.

Margaret Farley, coordinator of international immigration issues at the Office of Foreign Affairs, said the best solution for an illegal immigrant sometimes is to return to their country of origin and apply for a VISA there. Although the process can take a while, Farley said that it is the best solution.

Others believe that the DREAM Act is headed in the right direction to naturalize the immigrants that are already here. Dr. Keith Lindley, associate professor of foreign languages, thinks that helping the immigrants that are already here is the next logical step for the U.S. to take.

“I think that helping these minors pursue an education would only add to our society as a whole, by allowing them to become productive members,” he said. “They obviously came here for a better life, so why not help them?”

Lindley went on to say that the DREAM Act might be improved by adding a community service component.

“This would show the person’s continued dedication to the community and the country,” he said.

UNA student Josh Beard sees the issue differently and disagrees with the DREAM Act. He thinks that the best solution is to make the borders secure and to deport the illegal immigrants that are currently living here.

“It rewards people for breaking the law,” he said. “They need to return to their homes and come back to the country legally. I understand that the VISA process can be extensive, and our government should work on simplifying it.”

The extended VISA process did not stop UAH student Dan Khazanov from Barnal, Russia. Previously, Khazanov had attended high school in the United States, but left to study at a university in Russia, which meant that he had to re-apply for his green card.

Last year, he applied for a green card and got it within six months. He believes that if he had to follow the rules to re-enter the country, everyone should.

“It just seems unfair,” Khazanov said. “If the laws of the country say that you have to come in a certain way, that should be the only way to do it.”

Currently, there are 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the country. Of those, 60 percent are Hispanic, 20 percent are Latin American, and 8 percent are from Asia and Europe, according to Fox News. With this huge influx of immigrants, there are plenty of reasons for the citizens of the affected area to become upset.

Gabriella Carrasco, assistant professor of psychology, said that this divide in the country cannot lead to anything positive.

“In psychology, we see this competition for resources, such as jobs and other opportunities, create great animosity,” said Carrasco. She thinks that this will not be settled until the people begin to see the immigrants as a valuable resource and not a hindrance.

She said that the country needs to look at the world to see which immigration laws work or do not work.

“There’s no one way to do it, but not trying isn’t the best way either,” said Carrasco.