Pros and Cons of the DREAM Act

     There are many debates surrounding the Dream Act  issue and here are the two of the more popularly held views: 

CONS:

1.     High enough unemployment rate will raise even more: The Dream Act will be funded on the backs of hard working, law-abiding Americans -- CBO failed to assess costs for education, increased levels of unemployment due to the addition of workers to the workforce, and increases in potential applicants because of loopholes.

2.     It will overwhelm our street with criminals: The Dream Act provides safe harbor for any alien, including criminals, from being removed or deported if they simply submit an application - burden of proving inaccurate information on a Dream Act application is on the Department of Homeland Security. Certain inadmissible aliens, including those from high-risk regions, will be eligible for amnesty under the Dream Act.

3.     Conservative estimates suggest that at least 1.3 million illegal aliens will be eligible for the Dream Act amnesty. In reality, we have no idea how many illegal aliens will apply.

4.     It won't make us more educated: The Dream Act does not require that an illegal alien finish any type of degree (vocational, two-year, or bachelor’s degree) as a condition of amnesty - the applicant only has to complete the equivalent of two years of college.

5.     It will harm our economy: Current illegal aliens will get federal student loans, federal work study programs, and other forms of Federal Financial Aid. Who will pay for all those benefits?

PROS:

1.     It Will Help Our Economy: According to a recent UCLA study, students that would be impacted by the Dream Act could add between $1.4 to $3.6 trillion in taxable income to our economy over the course of careers, depending on how many ultimately gain legal status. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the Dream Act in its current form will cut the deficit by $1.4 billion and increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next 10 years.

2.     The Dream Act supports our troops: Secretary of Defense Gates has written to Dream Act sponsors citing the rich precedent of non-citizens serving in the U.S. military and stating that “the Dream Act represents an opportunity to expand [the recruiting] pool, to the advantage of military recruiting and readiness".

3.     The Dream Act is a great return on money we have already invested and will prepare the country for the global economy: Today’s global economy requires an educated and skilled workforce capable of acquiring, creating, and distributing knowledge.  Passage of the Dream Act will mean a group of talented, multilingual and multicultural workers will help America compete with innovators throughout the world.   

4.     Passage of the Dream Act will reduce high school dropout rates and enable more students to attend college:  Foreign-born students represent a significant and growing percentage of the current student population.  Unfortunately, immigration status and the associated barriers to higher education contribute to a higher-than-average high dropout rate, which costs taxpayers and the economy billions of dollars each year.  The Dream Act would eliminate these barriers for many students, and the Dream Act’s high school graduation requirement would provide a powerful incentive for students who might otherwise drop out to stay in school and graduate.

Please find sources used on our Bibliography page.

Short Term Gain Vs. Long Term Solutions

Univision: Jorge Ramos and Maria Elana Salinas Interview Mitt Romney (Immigration)

Romney Hopes To Have Immigration Reform Done By Time He Takes Office

 

Both President Obama and Governor Romney addressed immigration reform on Univision, a television network, in front of a vastly large Hispanic viewership. The race will be decided on narrowly based percentages in favor of either candidates. Directing such an important issue, in front of an audience who may be impacted the most from such reforms, has been the way of gaining that marginal percentage advantage that will make that difference of who becomes the next President of the United States.   

With each interview, we see that both candidates are still  not giving away any concrete solutions to the many immigration problems we are still facing. President Obama has implemented a two-year program called Deferred Action on August 15th,2012. Only a few months before the finale election. Many concluded that the Executive Order measure was made, by the President, to hold on to the Hispanic voters. This order only provides a temporary solution for children whom were brought to this country by his or her parents. The question that will later come up is: what will happen after those two years? Did anything really change?

Governor Romney was correct when he referred to this reform as a temporary bandage. However, he himself does not give away much about the types of solutions he has for immigration reform. Several times during the interview, he has mention the words "permanent solutions", he never directly commits to saying whether this means he will grant permanent residency to illegal youths. However using the word "permanent" has made the ears of many viewers  perk up a little close to what Governor Romney has to say about such reform for the youth.

What is the Dream Act in a first place?

   The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (DREAM) is a bi-partition bill introduced to Congress in 2001 and reintroduced in 2009 by Utah (R) Senator Orion Hatch and Illinois (D) Senator Richard Durbin created to help youths brought the United States by undocumented parents as children who are now graduating from High School not only find a path to citizenship for themselves, but also be allowed to continue their education into college and beyond.

To qualify for the DREAM Act an applicant must adhere to several very strict guidelines that include the following:
-The applicant must have entered the United States prior to their 16th birthday.
-The applicant must have been in the United States for at least 5 consecutive years prior to the bill passing.
-The applicant must have graduated from High School, obtained a GED or currently be enrolled in College, a Trade School or another type of Institution for Higher Learning.
-The applicant must currently be 30 and under at the time they are applying.
-The applicant must have good moral standing (no previous or current convictions).

With all of those requirements met and The DREAM Act is passed (its currently one vote short) a person will be granted a temporary, conditional allowance to remain in the United States for up to 6 years provided they follow the next set of guidelines.

http://adreamact.com/what-is-the-dream-act/

Candidates' views on immigration reform on Univision

         At an Univision event, Mitt Romney and President Obama answered questions from  Latino voters on immigration and the candidates stance on this issue.
        Mitt Romney critsized President Obama for pledging to fix the problem, but not delivering. He aslo said if he won the election he would go for a permanent solution.


 

 

         Obama answered, during the first year of his term he was consumed by efforts to help the economy and stop the country from going into another Great Depression. He blamed Republican, political opponents, saying they kept many significant immigration measures from getting him off the ground.

 

Please check this link for full story:
At a Univision event, Mitt Romney and President Obama answered Latino voters who question their stance on immigration

The Political Scene, May 17, 2012

 Kelefa Sanneh and William Finnegan on Romney's big problem with Hispanic voters:

The Political Scene, May 17, 2012