The Dream Act was introduced to the Senate, again. 1.9 million undocumented children and young adults in the United States might be eligible for legal status under this act. There is a need for Republican votes but come on… giving that many people the right to vote and have a voice against them (because they are young and a minority, therefore Democrats most likely have their vote) is not a Republican thing to do. You guys preach the value of education and family structures and deny higher education (and integration) to the people that need it the most, the same people you stigmatize with the label of uneducated and alien. The strive for education is there, why do you deny the right? Education is second to votes, of course. You lose votes from your stubborn political base because your platform is full of anti-immigration lunacy, and to turn against is political suicide. Sure, go ahead; hide fear behind law and morality. The other side gains an active political youth who wishes to take part in this nation’s decisions, who are tired of being suppressed and want to be heard. They want to be educated, they want to take advantage of the “freedom” the United States promised. Yeah, their parents got here illegally, but should they pay for their parent’s mistakes? Many didn’t even know what the heck was going on, and followed the public school system with hopes of going to college, unaware of their legal (or illegal) status. They are as American as anyone else. Oh and a recent study by UCLA claims that DREAM Act participants could contribute as much as $3.6 trillion to the U.S. economy during their working lives. Then, what is the problem? Politics. This civil rights movement sounds awfully familiar… why?
Become acquainted with the Dream Act:
[The DREAM Act] Does not repeal the ban on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The DREAM Act does not force states to charge in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants. The DREAM Act does not allow illegal immigrants to gain access to Federal Pell Grants and other financial aid.
1. Lowers the age cap for eligibility for the DREAM Act to 29 on the date of enactment. Additionally, to be eligible, individuals still must have come to the U.S. as a child (15 or under), graduated from a U.S. High School (or received a GED from a U.S. institution), and be a long-term resident (at least 5 years). An earlier version of the DREAM Act (S. 1545 in the 108th Congress), authored by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and cosponsored by Senator John McCain, did not include any age cap. This bill was approved by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee on a 16-3 vote.
2. Does not grant legal immigrant status to anyone for at least 2 years. Previous versions of the DREAM Act would have immediately granted legal immigrant status to individuals who met the bill’s requirements. Under S. 3992, an individual could obtain “conditional nonimmigrant” status if he proves that he meets the age (currently 29 or under and arrived in the U.S. at 15 or under) and residency requirements (5 years or more) and:
1. Has graduated from an American high school or obtained a GED;
2. Has been a person of “good moral character,” as determined by the Department of Homeland Security, from the date the individual initially entered the U.S. (previous versions of the DREAM Act only required an individual to be a person of good moral character from the date of the bill’s enactment);
3. Submits biometric information;
4. Undergoes security and law-enforcement background checks;
5. Undergoes a medical examination; and
6. Registers for the Selective Service.
3. Further limits eligibility for conditional nonimmigrant status by specifically excluding anyone who:
1. Has committed one felony or three misdemeanors;
2. Is likely to become a public charge;
3. Has engaged in voter fraud or unlawful voting;
4. Has committed marriage fraud;
5. Has abused a student visa;
6. Has engaged in persecution; or
7. Poses a public health risk.
4. Gives a conditional non-immigrant the chance to earn legal immigrant status only after 2 years and only if he meets the DREAM Act’s college or military service requirements, and other requirements, e.g., pays back taxes and demonstrates the ability to read, write, and speak English and demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, principles, and form of government of the United States.
5. Further limits “chain migration.” DREAM Act individuals would have very limited ability to sponsor family members for U.S. citizenship. They could never sponsor extended family members and they could not begin sponsoring parents or siblings for at least 12 years. Parents and siblings who entered the U.S. illegally would have to leave the country for ten years before they could gain legal status and the visa backlog for siblings is decades long.
6. Specifically excludes non-immigrants from the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. Conditional non-immigrants also would be ineligible for Medicaid, Food Stamps and other entitlement programs.
7. Establishes a one-year application deadline. An individual would be required to apply for conditional nonimmigrant status within one year of obtaining a high school degree or GED, being admitted to college, or the bill’s date of enactment.
8. Requires anyone applying for the DREAM Act to show that he is likely to qualify in order to receive a stay of deportation while his application is pending. The DREAM Act is not a safe harbor from deportation.
9. Requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide information from an individual’s DREAM Act application to any federal, state, tribal, or local law enforcement agency, or intelligence or national security agency in any criminal investigation or prosecution or for homeland security or national security purposes.
10. Places the burden of proof on a DREAM Act applicant. An individual would be required to demonstrate eligibility for the DREAM Act by a preponderance of the evidence.
DATA ACCESSED THOUGH WIKI.
Additional reading, get informed:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/119xx/doc11991/s3992.pdf
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111s3992pcs/pdf/BILLS-111s3992pcs.pdf
![Jack Kevorkian, you are my hero.
His god: Bach. “At least I didn’t make mine [god] up”.
Artist, an activist, a musician and a pathologist. Enamored with death, a true euthanasia enthusiast. “I don’t call it a ‘law.’ It is the arbitrary codification of an edict, for the sole benefit of a barbaric religious clique.”- Dr. Death](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ll5vhgXo5M1qbb7hro1_500.jpg)
