Today, New York Senator Charles Schumer (D) introduced a new bill before the Senate. This bill calls for an additional 55,000 STEM visas. STEM visas are for foreign-born individuals who have graduated from an American university with at least a master's degree in a science, mathematics, technology, or engineering filed. Should this bill be passed, it would be a big step towards reforming and improving our nation's immigration system.

Schumer's bill is similar to a bill that was introduced in the House by Texas Representative Lamar Smith (R). However, Smith's bill calls for complete elimination of the Diversity Visa Lottery, while Schumer's does not. Smith's reasoning for elimination the DV Lottery is that it is often plagued by fraud and that it makes it easier for terrorists to enter the Untied States.

In an attempt to rally support for his bill, Schumer's office is meeting with large tech companies in the Washington DC area. For years, tech companies have desired an increase in the number of STEM visas, so it is not surprising that they are highly supportive of this legislation. Reportedly, House Republicans are reaching out to tech companies as well to gather support for Smith's bill.

While both of these bills are intended to be very beneficial for highly educated immigrants, it is doubtful whether they will prove to be so in reality. As we draw to a close of the 2nd Session of the 112^th Congress, it is doubtful that there will be enough time for the Congressmen to vote upon either of these bills. And although we remain hopeful, we cannot help but wonder whether these pieces of legislation are just last minute strategic moves in the wake of the upcoming election.

Arizona's Immigration Law S.B. 1070 made national news when it was passed by state legislation in 2010, and again when the Supreme Court sustained the law's centerpiece in June of this year. Ever since the inception of the Arizona law that stirred national attention, several states have called for their own tough immigration law. In a recent Quinnipiac poll question, 62% of Virginian respondents favored a policy requiring police officers to check the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally.

Many proponents would be surprised to learn that their state already had a strict immigration law passed.. In 2008, two years before Arizona made national news, Prince William County in Virginia had already passed a law that requires officers to check every person they arrest to determine whether they're in the country legally. In addition to arrests, Virginia had mandated checks on admission to a state hospital, to obtain a driver's license, Medicaid benefits and, in some cases, employment. Virginia Delegate Bob MacDonnell said, "We were pushing the envelope before anyone else was."

While the Prince William ordinance pushed the envelope before Arizona, it raised concern and ire before Arizona as well. In addition to concern from immigrants and the public, criticism of the ordinance came from the county's Police Chief, Charlie Deane. Similar to Arizona's S.B. 1070, many worried that the ordinance would be costly to taxpayers, lead to accusations of racial profiling, and damage police-community relations. After only eight weeks, the ordinance was suspended and modified to address unconstitutional charges. The revision directed officers to question all criminal suspects about their immigration status once an arrest was made, rather than questioning only people suspected of being undocumented immigrants. Police Chief Deane said of the ordinance, "We made it very clear... that we were going to focus on individuals who had committed crimes, and that we were going to protect crime victims and witnesses regardless of their status, and we were not going to do racial profiling, roadblocks, sweeps or employment investigations."

Studies show that the Prince Williams ordinance may have done what it set out to accomplish. The Prince Williams county police department paid for a study conducted by the University of Virginia and the Police Executive Research Forum that looked at data from 2007 through 2009. The 2010 study showed that initial fears about racial profiling had not been realized but still found that the number of illegal immigrants in the county had been reduced and violent crime had dropped, although it was inconclusive whether the drop was an effect of the policy.

The sheer subtlety and effectiveness of the Prince William ordinance suggests that reasonable states immigration laws are attainable. If states like Arizona are able to modify their immigration laws to more closely resemble the Prince William ordinance, then illegal immigration may be able to be enforced without racial profiling, and while remaining constitutional.

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Is there a certain combination of factors that makes one truly American?  Besides the soil of one's birthplace and legal guidelines; a teenager who has spent the majority of his life growing up, studying, and living in the United States cannot be that different from his American citizen classmate.  He has grown up in the same community, played the same games, watched the same cartoons, and had the same aspirations for a future of living the American Dream.  Yet, the legal differences may not be disregarded and a government's action or inaction years ago is destined to come back at the most inopportune time. 

A teenager, Javier Stephens of Simpsonville, South Carolina is currently in danger of being deported back to Mexico.  He has grown up in the United States and in many ways this is the only country that he has ever called home.  But the 17-year old honor student has unfortunately been suffering for years due to a mistake made by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS).

Javier was brought to the country illegally as a child and subsequently abandoned by his birth parents.  He was lucky to have been adopted soon after by the Stephens foster family.  Yet, despite their best intentions the Stephens family was not aware of the legal flaws in the adoption.  Under United States immigration policy, while under foster care the undocumented child must begin the process of applying for citizenship before the adoption.  Unfortunately, this was not the case for Javier.  The appropriate paperwork was never completed and without a birth certificate or green card, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) could not process Javier's application.

The complications do not end there; the Mexican government also plays a crucial role in further impeding the process. The Mexican government does not officially recognize U.S. adoptions. This signifies that the Stephens family is required to undergo the adoption process again in Mexico. This is the only way to legally gain citizenship for Javier and ensure that he may remain in the United States.  Although this is a complicated case years in the making, this is in no way an isolated incident.  Administrative mistakes, delays in official processes, changes in leadership, and an array of other obstacles compound the already complex immigration process.  Many students are succumbing to similar fates as they struggle to understand their own identity and where they truly belong.

One of our basic necessities in order to advance in American society is education.  It is often a deciding factor in setting one apart from the general and oftentimes mediocre crowd.  But when this basic necessity is denied to those who strive for it, how may that be justified?  Many undocumented students with stellar academic records are being denied the opportunity for higher education around the country. 

Plans are currently underway in Maryland and California to establish a college specifically for undocumented students. It is set to open in 2013 under the name, National Dream University. This institution is geared towards educating undocumented individuals who would under any other circumstance be unable to enroll in a university.

An earlier initiative had been proposed by Freedom University in Georgia, but still left room for improvement.  In 2009, with the poor state of the national economy, an admission policy went into effect in the state of Georgia that directly affected the educational futures of undocumented immigrants.  The State of Georgia Board of Regents changed its guidelines so that any academically qualified legal immigrant or US applicant who had initially been rejected would automatically receive preference for admission over an undocumented student.  This new admission policy would mean that any undocumented student now lost the opportunity for admittance to any of the top five public colleges in the state of Georgia.  For those students that had struggled for so long to earn good grades, reach the top of their class and achieve the American Dream; these hopes were suddenly being dashed.  The justification for these policy actions were that during difficult economic times, the priority should be the legal citizens and every available spot afforded to them.

The passage of this policy in Georgia elicited a response as students, academics, and community activists searched for a solution.  Freedom University was established for those students that were being excluded by the state's new admissions policy.  Although it currently only offers its services to 33 students due to space restrictions, the community at large sought to help its progress anywhere from providing literature to international scholars offering to lecture.

An institution for the undocumented was not without its challenges.  The students felt as though they were direct targets for law enforcement and anti-immigration activists.  As one of the first institutions of its kind, Freedom University was a pioneer in raising awareness for this crucial concern.  Students were coming strictly to learn, knowing that unfortunately their efforts may have appeared to be in vain as their courses were not eligible for school credit and legal work after completion of their studies was in no way guaranteed.

So, what sets the new initiative apart from that in Georgia? The National Dream University has addressed some of the main flaws that existed in Georgia.  Courses are accredited through the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities so that the courses taken may actually count for school credit.  An online curriculum enables greater participation on a national level.  Moreover, NDU is not limited to undocumented immigrants.  It aims at promoting awareness for immigrant and labor rights movements and those committed to this type of leadership, so that everyone may apply to the program.  This also enables a wide array of perspectives and experiences to enrich the cause. 

The curriculum is currently online precisely so that these students may apply. The majority of these undocumented students are battling high tuition costs, the necessity for maintaining a paying (oftentimes full time) job, and other living expenses in addition to the usual academic concerns of a college student. The online classes afford a flexibility in cost and time that is typically not available in a standard university. Unlike other institutions, NDU will not require proof of citizenship, a green card or a US Visa for admittance. Upon completion of the program, one is expected to graduate with a certificate and the possibility of transferring the earned credits to another college. Furthermore, an NDU graduate may have the opportunity to earn a full Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree in the future.