Myths vs. Facts: DREAM Act

          Proposed DREAM Act is a well discussed immigration reform bill, since it was introduced in 2001. It has been revised several times yet failed to pass in the senate. There are many debates on whether or not this Act should be passed. Among these debates, many Americans have developed many misconceptions about this Act. Providing general amnesty, creating pressure on the job market, encouraging more illegal immigrants and opening up opportunities for the criminals are some of the  few criticisms of this Act. However, here are ways we break down some of these myths:

Myth: The DREAM Act equals “amnesty”.

Fact:   The DREAM Act is not an amnesty. No one will automatically receive a green card. To legalize:

·  Young people must meet several requirements in order to qualify for the conditional status it will provide them.

·    After their six year conditional status, these same individuals will need to meet additional requirements to move on to the next phase of this process.

·       Only applies to individuals who entered the U.S. as children.

·      DREAM Act applicants would be subject to rigorous criminal background checks and reviews.

Myth: The DREAM Act would encourage more students to immigrate illegally, and that applicants would just use this to petition for relatives.

Fact: The DREAM Act only applies to young people already in the United States who were brought here as children, it would not apply to anyone arriving after the cut off date. The DREAM Act applicants would not be able to petition for any family member until fulfilling lengthy and rigorous requirements. Even then, they would have to wait years before being able to successfully petition for parents or siblings.

Myth: The DREAM Act would result in taxpayers having to subsidize student loans for those students who register through The DREAM Act.

Fact: The DREAM Act students would not be eligible for federal grants.

            To know more about this topic please check White House Blog