The Israeli court decision gave legal residency to undocumented children, ten and up, born in Israel to illegal workers. According to the article, civil rights groups were trying to get it to also cover those over ten years old who were not born in Israel. Though obviously there are differences between the DREAM Act here in the United States and the one in Israel, the fundamental idea behind it is the same; not to punish children for the sins of the parents. Below I have highlighted parts of the article that directly relate to the DREAM Act.
But the spectacle of helpless children being threatened with deportation has also touched a nerve, and Israeli human rights groups are waging a court battle to let at least some of them stay in the land where they go to school and whose Hebrew language they speak like sabras – native-born Israelis.
But although the children aren't Jewish, they act just like their Jewish classmates and have never set foot in their parents' homeland.
“I am Israeli,” said 9-year-old Danica Hormillada, daughter of Filipino housecleaners. “And also a little bit Filipinit,” she added, using the Hebrew word for a Filipina.
“The aim is to save these children from cultural expulsion. The children are not responsible for the way their parents came here and the country that let them stay so long.”
In all the above quotations, insert American in place of Israeli and Jewish, insert English in place of Hebrew, and you'd think these were sentences from a news article advocating for the DREAM Act in the United States.
2 comments:
That is great news for Israeli Dreamers. Many countries are waking to up find assimilated bright children who are loyal to their country. Most are starting to realize what a waste it would be to turn them away.
Great move on part of Israel. I read something the other day about how they're working on making their general treatment of undocumented immigrants more humane, such as ending midnight raids and the like (something ICE should consider).
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