Not Much for the Dreamers

          Immigration reform is quite a sensitive issue for numerous voters in this upcoming election, especially Latino voters. Many people who hoped for this issue to be discussed were quite disappointed to find that the issue was left unmentioned in the first debate. Although it was discussed quite briefly—five minutes—in the second debate, nothing new was presented. President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney were both asked about their immigration plans. The two candidates presented their views and plans on immigration reform. From their discussion, it seems that there is very little hope for the supporters of the DREAM Act, an immigration reform bill that would provide more opportunities for undocumented aliens.

          Republican candidate Romney had always been against the DREAM Act. During the second debate, he said he opposes any amnesty for those without valid documents in America. Romney supports “self-deportation” and he is strongly against providing jobs to illegal immigrants. He also said he opposes driver's licenses and same state college tuition fees for undocumented aliens. The only pathway is “military service” to become a permanent resident of the United States for young people. But the fact is the military does not allow illegal immigrants to enlist. He opposes legalization for the "illegal" and forbids any benefits for them. Overall, he would make their lives miserable so that undocumented residents would be forced to leave.

       President Obama expressed his sympathy and support for those people who risked their lives to come here just to take care of their families. He is not willing to deport those groups of people who were bought by their families and think this is their country. He also stated that being an immigrant and being a criminal are two different things. People who came here to support their family are not criminals. He also mentioned that the Obama administration has worked diligently to pass the act. However, when asked why he did not present this bill to Congress in his first two years when his party was a majority in Congress, he could not provide a satisfactory answer. Obama has been criticized for not trying hard to pass this act in his term as he promised. On June 15, 2012, Obama announced that America will stop the deportation of eligible people under the DREAM Act and provide a two-year work permit for them. However, this may only be a trick to garner some votes, as suspected by some. Although many are hopeful of President Obama's stance on immigration reform, the fact remains that his actions have been different from his campaign promises. A few websites such as CBS news, Washington post, PBS news, ABC news and many others reported that America had the largest number (about 1.2 million over three years) of deportation during Obama’s term. Clearly, immigration was not a priority for him.

           In conclusion, taking into account the positions of both candidates and their respective consequences, seems to present the following dilemma: If Romney wins, he will not pass DREAM Act and probably follow the model of Arizona to encourage self-deportation. If Obama wins, he will not do much without the support of the Republicans. Both Romney and Obama admitted that we don’t have enough resources to deport 11.2 million people (by Pew Hispanic Center report, 2011). Regardless of whoever wins, it can be concluded from both candidate’s words and actions that there is not much hope on immigration reform or to pass DREAM Act in the coming future.

Published by Shanjida Khatun

 Updated on 11/1/12

Obama Offers a Glimpse of his Second-term Priorities

       President Barack Obama predicts a passage for immigration reform and a deficit-reduction deal, offering a fresh glimpse of his second-term agenda as he fights for votes in the final stretch of the tight race for The White House.

Obama offers a glimpse of his second-term priorities

You May Say I’m a Dreamer but I’m Not the Only One: John Lennon

         This song “Imagine” is an inspiration for today’s Dream Act supporters. Most of us may not know that the musical icon John Lennon, of the Beatles, is one of the pioneers of Deferred Action, a program that puts a hold on deportation actions. Lennon, who  advocated an immediate end to the Vietnam War, was targeted by Richard Nixon because he was seen to be a negative influence on young voters,those in the 18-20 age group were allowed to vote for the first time that year. Lennon was ordered to be deported from America. In 1974, he was able to put a hold on the deportation through a “Non-Priority Program” which the INS often used as a discretionary tool to avoid removal of aliens who had special humanitarian reasons for remaining. The next year, “Non-Priority Program” was renamed “Deferred Action” and INS made the “Operating Instructions” for the public.

Imagine lyrics
Songwriters: Lennon, John;

Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try
No people below us, above it's only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do
No need to kill or die for and no religions too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Published by: Shanjida Khatun

[Updated] Impacts of the DREAM Act

Growing up in the United States of America might sound a great deal for many immigrant young people. America is a symbol of good life and a promising successful future. For the immigrant youths, the legislation of the DREAM Act will grant them a better and equal footing in the American society. Electoral candidates have expressed their positions about the DREAM Act and all of them believe that their stance will create better outcomes for everyone. The impacts of the DREAM Act can either be a step forward or a step backward not just for the immigrant youths, but for all the American people once it is finally realized by the incoming leaders of the country.  

Immigration law has an extensive history of debate in the United States. In the past, administration leaders and a greater portion of the American citizenry have always been in objection to the growing number of immigrants in the country. In 2001, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM Act commenced in the House through the proposal bill of Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, Democratic Senator Richard Durbin, Representative Howard Berman of California and Representative Chris Cannon of Utah. (Immigration Policy Center; Ojeda 2) According to this bill, undocumented or illegal immigrants who arrived to the country before they were sixteen years old will be permitted for conditional permanent residency if they qualify with the prerequisites. (Immigration Policy Center; Ojeda 2) The bill faced many challenges and criticism, including its passing in the Senate. Some of its first supporters also dropped their endorsement for the bill. When President Barack Obama ran for the position, he earned the trust and confidence of many immigrants after he supported the DREAM Act. He also promised to improve the immigration laws so as it would not be too rigorous on immigrants. However, the DREAM Act failed approval in the Senate, but its proponents, including President Obama, continued to push for its legislation. At present, the DREAM Act is a hope for many young immigrants treated as illegal in the country they call home while it is seen as a threat to some of the legal residents of the United States.

The DREAM Act is supposed to encourage the future of more than two million children and teens that were brought by their parents before they reach the age of sixteen or already born in the US from migrant parents (Immigration Policy Center; Ojeda 2; Costantini; Aguilar). These marginalized youths have suffered in the past, where most of them were no longer allowed to continue attending school, not allowed to enter jobs, or worse, their parents got arrested and can no longer provide for their needs. With the DREAM Act, they are promised a better future with a new status and with equal recognition to legitimate American residents.

There are several positive and negative impacts of the proposed bill, if one will look at the two sides of the coin. For the advantages, its proponents specified a number of positive outcomes of the bill, mostly of economic significance. Many young immigrants will get their education and better paying careers. This would mean that their earnings in the future will contribute to the nation’s income. Studies from Arizona State University in 2008 and UCLA North American Integration and Development Center in 2012 showed that immigrants will greatly generate hundreds of thousands to millions from their future professions. (Immigration Policy Center) According to the Center for American Progress and Partnership for a New American Economy, about $329 billion will be expected by 2030 (Costantini; Aguilar; Guzmán and Jara). Aside from future financial gains on taxes and consumer spending, legalizing these young immigrants will help harness a new breed of professionals, skilled workers, talented individuals and business magnates (Immigration Policy Center; Guzmán and Jara) which will further strengthen the human resources of the nation. They will be able to enter colleges and universities instead of dropping out of school, which will also mean that they will be paying their tuition fees (Immigration Policy Center). With these young immigrants achieving a legal status in the future, a stable recruitment base for the military forces will be sustained, helping ensure the nation’s security and safety. About eight percent of military recruits are immigrants (Immigration Policy Center), which means it will increase further if these young people will be granted the legal status.

However, there is also the downside for the DREAM Act. According Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, the bill is sort of a ‘mass amnesty’ and a ‘magnet for fraud. (Clark) Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies noted that “funds and slots are limited at state universities and community colleges” (Camarota) which will result to crowding out of legal citizens and additional taxes for tax payers (Clark).     

With the presidential election roughly a month to go, President Obama already accepted his failure to make immigration reforms possible and the DREAM Act to become a law. He also pointed the fingers to the Republicans for the failure of the DREAM Act. While President Obama implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Senator Romney who strongly opposed the DREAM Act previously, being a Republican, had recent statements that he will contemplate on the bill if these illegal immigrants will enter military service. Obviously, the presidential candidates are wooing the immigrants who are part of the voting population. I believe that the issue of legalizing these young immigrants is a great step forward for the whole American society. Whether it’s the DREAM Act or another bill to be legislated by the next leaders of the country, there will always be likeable and unfavorable impacts, depending on whose side one goes with. It might be better to remind all of them that America is the land of the free, and where equality and justice were once fought for by the precious life of our ancestors and leaders. 

Immigration Was Not an Issue at the First Round Presidential Debate

       The presidential race entered its final month with the first of the three presidential debates having taken place in the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, on October 3. The importance of the debates cannot be underestimated as, with the presidential elections approaching, any vote counts and the whole country closely follows every word the candidates have to say about the issues that people are concerned about.

      The first presidential debate focused on the domestic policy, including such issues as social security, healthcare programs and the role of the government, but somehow managed to avoid the immigration topic. Although most voters believe that the immigration is an important issue, being a significant part of the economy and one of the major issues in the GOP platform, as well as the Democratic National Convention, it was not important for the presidential candidates in their discussion on October 3.

      Some people felt that the immigration issue had to be touched upon, at least, in some way in the first presidential debate on domestic policy as it represented a major part of domestic policy and economy.

       According to Fox News Latino, Luis Gutierrez, the Illinois Democrat who is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on Immigration, made the following comment on this situation: “It is absurd that a 90 minute debate on domestic policy and the economy would not address immigration at all, not even in passing, especially when Latino voters are considered the key demographic that will determine who sits in the White House.”

      However, many believe that the immigration topic is still likely to come up in some way later in one of the other two debates scheduled this month. With the presidential race getting tight, both candidates understand the important of reaching out to the Hispanic population and earning their support. A recent analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center reports that a record 24 million Latinos are eligible to vote in the 2012 election. That is an increase by more than 4 million or 22 percent since 2008. Neither candidate can afford to neglect this community. 

       Consequently, last Monday, 2 days before the Denver meeting, in the effort to outreach the Hispanic voters, Mitt Romney stepped back to support the Obama immigration initiative. “On Monday, after months of pressure to clarify whether he would end the program if elected, Romney said in an interview with The Denver Post that he would not cancel two-year deportation deferrals already granted by the Obama administration,” the New York Times said.

      However, just hours before the Wednesday debate, campaign representative clarified that, if elected, Mr. Romney would honor the visas already issued but would not issue any new deferrals. Romney intended to cancel Obama’s temporary measure and work on the permanent solution of this problem.

     In his battle to appeal to the Hispanic community Romney emphasizes the economic issues as being top priority. The Dallas Morning News quoted Ben Ginsberg, chief counsel to the Romney campaign, as saying: “Hispanic voters are no different than other voters in that what they will look for is who can provide more jobs for middle-class Americans, and for communities. It’s all about jobs and the economy.” In overall, the republican candidate’s position regarding illegal immigrants remains conservative.

         However, as Washington Post reports, despite Romney’s efforts to hold Obama below 65 percent of the Hispanic vote, the most polls show that the president is above that level. The Obama’s position on immigration policy doesn’t seem to have changed much.

         Although both candidates seemed unwilling to discuss the immigration topic, most observers and reporters put the blame on the moderator, Jim Lehrer, who decided on the topics to be addressed and follow-up questions, and omitted the immigration policy. Moderator’s choice to omit the immigration issue could somewhat be explained by the fact that the immigration is not in the voter interest as much as it was before the recession. According to the Pew Research Center, among registered voters, 41% consider immigration a “very important” determinant of their vote, the lowest of twelve issues being tested, which is 11.0 percent down compared to 2008.    

Published by Aiya Anvarova

DREAM Act Will Create 1.4 million New Jobs and $329 billion to the U.S. Economy

   On October 1, The Washington Post posted a report from The Center of American Progress. The result of this report may provide a path to pass The DREAM Act. The reports states that The DREAM Act can impact an estimated 2.1 million youths. As a result, would add $329 billion and 1.4 million new jobs to the U.S. economy by 2030 based on the data from the American Community Survey .

According to the report:

   We concluded from this report that enabling 2.1 million eager-to-be-Americans, to achieve the American dream, would boost our economy significantly. First, enacting the law would provide an incentive for such individuals to pursue higher education because for most of those who would be eligible for the legalization provisions can only be attained through completion of high school and some college. Achieving a higher education opens the door to higher-paying jobs, enabling these undocumented youths to become much more productive members of our society. Second, gaining legal status itself translates into higher earnings for these youth; since legal status allows DREAMers to apply to a broader range of high-paying jobs rather than having to resort to low-wage jobs from employers who are willing to pay them off the books.

How it works: