American Dream 2. 0

[Verse 1]
Came with two suitcases and belief in the American Dream,
“Land of opportunity” — that childhood meme,
Statue of Liberty, streets where gold should gleam,
But the truth hit hard — bills, debts, and visa schemes.

Green Card lottery — chance one in a mil’,
H-1B visa — need a sponsor with will,
Who keeps you locked up, can’t quit, can’t chill,
You’re chained to the job, their hostage still.

“Speak English!” they yell — like I picked my tone,
“Go back to your country!” — though I earned my home,
Playing by rules, paying taxes, two jobs strong,
Yet to them I’m still “foreign,” never belong.

Model minority myth — Asians made to seem blessed,
But that’s a stereotype that hides the real stress,
Bamboo ceiling, bias, daily microaggressions,
“Where you really from?” — that’s loaded with tension.

[Chorus]
American Dream 2.0 — not what it used to mean,
Immigration system’s broken, eaten by the machine,
Years of waiting, thousands paid to lawyers,
Uncertainty, deportation fears — those are your warriors.

[Verse 2]
Undocumented — eleven million unseen,
No rights, no shield, living in-between,
Work in fields, in kitchens, on sites so grim,
Invisible hands — the economy runs on them.

DACA dreamers — brought as kids, they grew here,
America’s their home, but status unclear,
Temporary, threatened every day they breathe,
Living in limbo — no roots, no reprieve.

Family separation — kids in cages,
“Zero tolerance” carved in cruel pages,
Asylum seekers flee war, hunger, harm,
But meet detention, rejection — alarm.

Immigration centers — prisons for gain,
Profit from pain, corporations sustain,
Lobby for harsher laws, stay paid,
Human suffering — their stock trade.

[Chorus]
American Dream 2.0 — not what it used to mean,
Immigration system’s broken, eaten by the machine,
Years of waiting, thousands paid to lawyers,
Uncertainty, deportation fears — those are your warriors.

[Verse 3]
“Nation of immigrants” — they boast with pride,
But each new wave met hate worldwide,
Irish banned, Chinese Exclusion Acts,
Japanese camps — history reenacts.

Xenophobia’s cycles — new targets each age,
Yesterday Irish, today Latin or beige,
Same old lines: “They steal our jobs, our roots,”
Though data proves — migrants bear the fruits.

Reverse brain drain — best minds in flight,
Building startups, Silicon Valley lights,
Speaking accents, dreaming wide —
Diversity’s the strength they hide.

But the system stalls — decade queues,
Talents stuck, dreams they lose,
While Canada, Oz, make it fast and plain,
America bleeds genius down the drain.

[Outro]
American Dream 2.0 — still breathing, needs reform,
Not slogans but action, a brand new norm,
A path for the undocumented, a simpler way,
For the legal too — fairness, not play.

See, migrants ain’t threat — they’re fuel, they build,
Diversity’s power — not weapon to wield,
“Nation of immigrants” — not words of old,
But truth of the future, brave and bold.

My dream ain’t dead — it transformed instead,
Not gold, but safety, peace in my head,
To raise my kids where they’re free to belong,
In this home — where our roots are strong.

American Dream 2.0 — that’s about us,
Millions who chose this land with trust,
To build a life, no matter the fights,
Immigration ain’t a problem — it’s America’s rights.