Except it is not JUST Latinos.

Prioritize education and pass Dream Act

A recent poll found that Latino parents are significantly more likely than white or black parents to see college preparation as the main purpose of pre-kindergarten through grade-12 learning. In addition, history documents that schools have been a main vehicle to assimilate immigrants into what it means to be an American.

However, a majority of Iowa Latino students are denied the dream of becoming educated citizens because they did not stop their parents or guardians from having them enter the United States illegally. This is our great social shame, and why the passage of the Dream Act and true immigration reform is critical.

As Bishop Richard Pates expressed during his installation mass, "[W]e clothe ourselves with the mantle of social justice... . We insist that all are guaranteed the basic human rights of food, education, health care, security, work, freedom of religious practice. We not only accept but welcome the enriching presence of newcomers among us."

Therefore, if we as a nation truly believe in and live by our democratic principles, we must get serious now about the care of human life and happiness before we disengage generations of Latino youth who want to live the American dream.

- Jason Follett, Ankeny