Dreamers not allowed to apply for citizenship

Jim Clark’s Sept. 15 letter, “Dreamers need to take some responsibility,” exemplifies the ignorance and eagerness to judge without facts that are hallmarks of the far right in the matter of Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals. Mr. Clark feels that Dreamers should “follow the rules” when, in fact, that is exactly what they have done.

Having been brought here as minors, they had no say in following immigration regulations or not. As young adults, they followed the rules by applying though DACA (giving the government their personal history and information) for the legal right to stay in what is for the majority of them the only country they know.

Mr. Clark asks why the Dreamers have not applied for citizenship. If he had only taken a few minutes and googled his question, he would have discovered that they couldn’t apply for U.S. citizenship because they had not been living here as legal permanent residents for at least five years.

Surely, people who were brought to this country through no personal choice and have lived here most of their childhood and are now young adults wanting to be full members of society ought to be extended the compassion to legally do so.

For the U.S. government to tell such people that they can and then rescind the offer is unconscionable and dishonorable.