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Subscribe to RSSAfter previously scheduling a procedural vote for this morning, the Senate has again pushed back a vote to take up legislation to allow a path to U.S. citizenship for some foreign-born young adults who came to the country illegally as children.
Instead, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called a vote at the last minute to “table” or kill the Senate version of the vote Thursday, with the intention of taking up the House version of similar legislation later this month. That motion passed, setting the bill aside.
The bill narrowly passed the House last night, 216-198, but Democrats face a difficult challenge to overcome a GOP filibuster in the Senate. A similar test vote in the Senate in September failed 52-44. (Democrats need 60 votes to move the legislation forward.)
The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act would allow those with a high school diploma or a GED to apply for conditional U.S. status if they are under the age of 30 and arrived the U.S. before the age of 16. After a long process -- including two years of service in the military or enrollment in college -- they would then be eligible to apply for legal immigrant status.
Republican critics call the measure “amnesty.” Speaking on the Senate floor earlier this week, GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama branded the bill “an immediate reward for the illegal entry, and there is no serious plan to stop the illegal flow—indeed, the legislation incentivizes it.” Sessions notes that the bill would allow some illegal immigrants with criminal records to gain citizenship and that it would offer job and educational opportunities not available to citizens who have always followed the law. “In short, this bill would be a disaster,” he said.
But many Democrats say that the law would be good for the country as a whole. In a statement after the bill passed the House, President Barack Obama called it “the right thing for the United States of America” as well as for “talented young people who seek to serve a country they know as their own.”
“The rule of law must be conditioned by justice and fairness and compassion,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s task force on immigration and a key backer of the DREAM act. He urged his colleagues to change current immigration rules that are “unfair” to young foreign-born adults living in this country.
Despite its challenges in the upper chamber, the debate on the DREAM Act allows Democrats to vocally back a proposal favored by a fast-growing block of Hispanic voters. Last year, census data showed that number of Hispanic voters surged 28 percent between the 2004 and 2008 election. Barack Obama won two-thirds of Latino voters in the 2008 election.
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I'M A U.S. CITIZEN AND I SUPPORT THE DREAM ACT...now let the stupid comments begin..
And you must be the type to knock down and old lady in a supermarket to get to the last bottle pf prune juice.
Yes it was just a matter of time before a left wing Prius driving liberal like yourself would support this and post comments about it.
Didn't take long huh, Ben. No shortage of 'em here.
Why is driving a Prius some sort of epithet? How is minimizing your carbon footprint the sole territory of "liberals"? Don't conservatives care for their own future generations? Post613 do you own a shop that sells tiger parts? I don't think so. Why cast that net?
"rolling eyes". Cut out the Al Gore lying crud.
Jimbo, it wasn't your home either, your (or rather what you claim) ancestors ( of Asian orgin) immigrated here just like everyone else.
It's called the dream act because it's just that . A crazy dream. Hey, big mac, you seem to be theonly one here in favor. This transends to the whole country. All of us CITIZENS have immigrant backgrounds. Our parent / decendants played by the rules, why can't the mexicans play by them. Where you cme from ther are no rules. Get used to it. No dream act will ever pass in this country.!
This DREAM is a nightmare for "legal" citizens of this country. So, it's OK to be an anchor baby, avoid the law for upteen years and then say I want my rights, when reality is you have none, until you are a legal part of this country. This is amnesty for young illegals and just because they learned to speak Engish, don't let them fool you. They are still illegal. Why should my tax dollars go towards paying thier college education etc. when I have my own kids, born in the USA , that will be going to college soon and will be looking for financial assistance themselves. It seems like we continue to reward people for doing things wrong or illlegaly. Personally, my parents were immigrants, made themselves legal, law abiding citizens of this country and they did it th old fashion way. They earned it. They didn't avoid the law.
Your tax dollars do not support their education. In fact, they will need to pay for their education themselves and are not eligible for any sort of federal/state aid/grants.
It is not a reward. it is a path to citizenship for people of "good moral character" as stated in the bill who want a chance to pay back this country through getting a higher education or serving in the military to protect our country.
Fiscally, this will reduce our deficit over the course of the next 10 years by 1.4 billion. If we do not pass this Act, the "illegals" will still remain here and will be the problem you make them out to be because they would not be able to pay taxes, get a job, or serve in the military.
If you read the act they will be able to apply for financial aide, which is tax payer supported.
These people are here illegally, which means they are breaking the law and are criminals. I don't have a problem with someone wanting a better life for themselves and their family, but do it LEGALLY. And as for some of the ridiculous comments about all of us being immigrants, yes, for most of us, that is how our ancestors got here. But, they did it LEGALLY. If they give amnesty to these criminals, the flow will never end. And, it isn't just Mexicans who are here illegally. There are plenty of Poles and Russians too. However, they at least try to blend in with the rest of us and act like citizens by learning our language and not demanding we learn theirs.
They need to do something...either load em all up and send them back to Mexico and be done with it or let them be here and have drivers licenses where they can get around without being exploited by the police. There's a lot of good people here working doing jobs that most people don't want but I think that any jobs these people fill should have to first be offered to US citizens and I also don't think that any education that they get should be subsidized by our government. They should have to pay for their schooling full priced but if they are serious about doing right and pay for those first two years schooling and do good with it then let them have some financial aide for the rest.
Liberals love sympathy votes. The fact that this was being brought up now, in the last hours of a lame duck, only goes to show that it’s not really all that important to the dems. They’ll wail about it being “for the children” for the next week, then we’ll be back to the drawing board on amnesty. Reid is just a grandstander looking to appease his left-wing base for the cameras.
The US Congress reminds me of a line from the Red Hot Chili Peppers...
"Give it away, give it away, give it away now!"
The assumptions made by the opponents of Dream are outright insulting. Virtually all economists agree that immigration increases the wealth of the US. Further, studies have shown that immigrants do not increase the rate of unemployment among native Americans. Dreamers are necessary to America’s future—their social security contributions will be helping to support the retirees of an otherwise declining work force. Dismissing the bogus financial reasons to oppose Dream, what is left? Xenophobia? Racism? It’s time to fight for the civil rights of Dreamers. These people were raised here and we have to stop stigmatizing and marginalizing them. It’s not humane, it’s not fair and it’s not Christian.
is it fair to those who immigrated thru the proper channels that they are not offered the same benefits as the dream act offers the illegals ??
That's something I've been wondering. I wonder if the people behind this act have even considered what happens to the people who have been waiting in line for YEARS to become citizens, after having done it LEGALLY.
What exactly happens to the people who have been waiting Years? Nothing really. They don't lose their citizenship because someone else gets theirs.
And there is no "line jumping" because after they fulfill all requirements as stated in the Act, they go to the back of the queue.
@ReadtheAct: This shows the gross ignorance about the overall immigration process. Being a legal immigrant myself (still in the employment immigration queue for the past 4 years, will be in line for another 5-6 years), the DREAM act gives these illegals undue advantage over the legal immigrants. There are a lot of hidden benefits that is not discussed anywhere. Let me explain just two of them here:
If DREAM act is implemented:
These illegals WILL NOT need any kind of visa for work or for travel. You have no idea what a big benefit that is. These guys will have an edge over all the other legal immigrating students/workers while applying for any kind of job as the employers will not need to worry about sponsoring visas or green cards for them (very expensive process). Also, your visa is almost tied to your employer and you do not have much flexibility to change your job or even get a promotion as your visa/green card is tied to your employer and designation. The DREAM act beneficiaries have no such issues. They get a free ticket to a worry-free employment with any employer they choose.
They will also get to travel in and out of the country without worrying about visas. Right now, almost every time legal immigrants travel in and out of the country, they are required to maintain a valid visa that needs to be stamped in a US consulate outside USA. There is always a chance that the visa will get rejected. This has such a profound psychological impact that we legal immigrants always have this thought looming over us - what if my visa gets rejected? We cannot buy houses because of that, we cannot invest anything anywhere because of that.... The DREAM act gives these illegals a free ticket to permanent residency without having to worry about anything.
Isn't that a REWARD?????
FYI - I was also a legal immigrant and now am a citizen.
Your argument is that these people who were brought here illegally by their parents as children and are now being given a path to citizenship by receiving conditional residency in obtaining higher level education and military service does you an injustice because you don't have those same benefits?
And you are arguing against the fact that they should be provided the ability to work?
You already have a path to citizenship and although arduous and tough you do have a path - these people do not.
@ GuyfromLA,
I don't think you can compare the psychological effects of you visa being rejected can be compared to a lifetime of watching over your shoulder, making sure you don't make a simple mistake while driving so you don't get pulled over, draw too much attention to yourself, or even be racial profile by a cop because at any moment you can get picked up and deported. Try living with that with no hope of ever gaining a path to citizenship.
"Americans" set the example when they came and "discovered" an already populated country and decided they were more entitled to its landscape than the Native Americans. If we continued to take the same example we would come back and anihalate the competition, but instead we want the opportunity to coexist. The labor of the early Mexican American community built this country, now we want to partake in the rebuilding of the economic sector. The numbers speak for themselves, the buying power of Mexican Americans is over $380 billion dollars and combined with other Hispanics exceeds 1 trillion. The US economy cannot recover without this support.
These indivduals should be given a chance to be Americans. Most were brought when they were merely children. To be granted this "amnesty", they will have to go to college, or serve in the military. In either way the country will also benefit from having these individuals become part of the country.
if i read the dream act correctly, don't they have to be born here ??
The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act would have allowed high school graduates to apply for conditional U.S. status if they are under the age of 30 and arrived the U.S. before the age of 16.
If immigrants are unwelcomed then all of you ignorant people can take your ass back to your origin homeland because im sure you're not 100 % Native American, or are you?
You ignoramus the topic is about "ILLEGAL ALIENS". IDIOT
guess what ?? --- native americans did not originate here either, -- they were simply the first to settle here.
What part of the word illegal in illegal immigrant to people have a hard time understanding. That said, I have a plan that will have a positive effect on this country. When a Dream applicant applys for college or to join the military, they would have to identify where they came from. We would then pack up a welfare queen and ship her there. At least the illegal immigrants want to work and better themselves.
@rodmart
Disagree, more like your father or mother robs a bank... they go to jail.. does the child go to jail?.. no.. same thing here, these students (read heathens by conservatives) are simply growing up as American kids and will not be able to contribute in anyway to the economy or armed forces because of their status.
And question, why would we throw away high school and college educations that us tax payers have already invested in?? Does not make any sense...
People think that when this does not pass all the undocumented people will magically disappear from the U.S.... Truth is they're still going to be here, going to school, going to college, graduating from college, going to graduate school - I know several people going to graduate school to get their masters but guess what.. they can't work and contribute to our society... seems like a waste of resources.. wake up America..
SUPPORT the DREAM Act
Jimmy-2776696 - "People think that when this does not pass all the undocumented people will magically disappear from the U.S...."
I really doubt that legal US residents believe that illegal aliens will magically disappear. But they do know that passage of this act would be the first step toward total amnesty. Until the government addresses enforcement of current immigration laws, secures the border, and steps up deportations (especially of those convicted of criminal acts other than the at least one they committed by entering the country illegally), there should be no discussion whatsoever about any kind of "path to citizenship".
this is the equivalent of an illegal taking his kids to Walmart. They get caught shoplifting $40,000.00 in HDTVS.
As they are being hauled away by the Police, the kids are given the stolen TV's to keep, because they are innocent and did nothing wrong. Then, a short time later, they are allowed to invite the parents to join them here as "Citizens", both keeping the TV's and having their CRIMES forgiven.
As a reward for their struggles, we give them unemployment, free education, free medical, welfare, Etc.
They are benefiting from the illegal actions of their parents.
Sound like a good Democratic idea to me !!
Disagree, read my comment above yours about rodmart who said the same thing basically...
I love how you some of you label people a criminals who left an impoverished country to make a better life for themselves and their children, what would you be willing to do to escape poverty and violence to save your family, how far would you go? We see people leaving countries in droves to find a better future. Yet we label these people as common criminals. You can disagree with how they got here all you want, but most of these people are hard working family oriented good people who work harder than most Americans, they will do what ever job come their way and be grateful for it, regardless how menial or dirty, most Americans wouldn't even dream of doing some of the work these people do, the only way all of these meat and chicken processing plants stay in business is because of these people, don't be so quick to judge and condemn. I work with some of these families as a Clinical Social Worker and they are some of the most decent people I have ever met, they don't ask for handouts, they don't use Social Services and most of the time refuse any help as it is an affront the the Man's pride.
you must not be a social worker in western colorado, then.
I don't know where you live but I would bet money it isn't a border state. You don't have to fight the schools, teachers, or watch them rent homes (then four to six families move in) in nice neighborhoods and watch them bring it down to a slum area. We had to threaten to sue the school because they were going to bus our kids to another school because the school across the street was over crowded, almost half were illegal "migrants" workers (not allowed to call them "illegals"). Or watch the teachers try to balance giving our kids the lessons they needed to survive in order to spend hours trying to make a child that didn't speak English understand. Or have to move out of a nice home because the crime rate had gone up so much you couldn't afford to live in it anymore.
Handouts: they do get free lunches, food allotments and subsidised housing. Work that American won't do! That's bull crap, if decent wages and decent working conditions were offered, then the jobs would be filled.
Why are illegal immigrants bad people in western Colorado, do you know any personally?
Hello Allanna,
I would like for you to please explain how they bring down your neighborhood to a slum. Have you seen a slum? It is alot of tiny houses, many made out of sheet metal, confined in a relatively small area. You want to see slums, watch the movie "City of God". Have you spoken to any of "them"? Did you make a nice gesture like bake a cake and walk over and ring their doorbell inviting them to the neighborhood? Did you actually see 6 different families come in and out of the house? 6 moms & 6 dads, lets say 3 children for each family, so that makes 30 people living in this home? Even if that was the case, as they not renting it just like anyone else would and are using their space as they damn well please? If their living situation is as bad as you say and ur neighborhood is a pristine as you make it sound then isn't it proper that parents want their children to grow up in a decent neighborhood and go to a decent school? And how do you know they are undocumented? Did you also take a survey of the school to check that 50% of the student body population was undocumented? Did you actually move out of your neighborhood because the crime rate was so bad?
Please do not make invalid allegations.
..This act was DOA, poll after poll show more than 70% of American citizens oppose granting citizenship to illegal immigrants that try to crowd their way to the front of the line.........Further more, nomatter what they say, this act is nothing more than an attempt to leave the back door open for future amnesty............If most of these illegal immigrants had any respect for fair play, American law or customs they would immigrate through the same channels all other hopefuls take.......Why should we reward those who show contempt for our laws, customs and rights of others
Spot on!
Arizona still had the right idea. Enforce the laws and watch them move out. The "illegals" in Arizona dropped considerably after the law was passed until obama and his thugs got into the act. This is his "backdoor" amnesty, if this passes then it leaves the open for him to give the other 20 million "illegal" amnesty. You wouldn't want to separate "families" so therefore all of the child's illegal relatives should be given free citizenship.
Exactly!
Would proponents of the DREAM Act also agree to deportation of all of the illegal alien relatives of the DREAM applicant? After all, if it's just for the child, then it doesn't matter if the ineligible members of the family are deported. They'll be identified in the paperwork submitted by the applicant, and they'd have to leave anyway to fit the "10 years out of country" requirement - I call that a win/win!
As a Hispanic whose family imigrated to this country starting in the 1920's, obtaining Visa's and sponserships from other family members legally, who didn't have any social programs to support them and worked to obtain their education and you want us to give those who didn't play by the rules a pass. Forget-about-it!
It is very sad that children have to suffer because of their parents distain for the law. However, regardless of the motive or need to imigrate to this country, we as a nation must maintain the fabric of law & order to preserve our way of life and security.
That is the argument that racists used before the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s. The law is what we make of it. For the benefit of economic competitiveness in a global economy, we need to open up the labor market and stop our protectionism policies in fear that someone might take our job. I'm here in the United States because of the LEGAL process of immigration. I can tell you from personal experience that it is broken and unrealistic to our country's economic demand. Having lived part of my life in New Orleans, LA, I can tell you that instead of complaining about the hardworking immigrants that make it to this country whether by the legal or illegal process, all Americans should try to become more competitive and educate themselves. Along with understanding the economics behind it, there was no larger factor in gaining appreciation for the immigrant than when I saw who took advantage to better their lives when going back to NOLA after Hurricane Katrina and seeing the masses of Mexicans who crossed the border illegally and arrived to clean up the city. This is exactly the point....immigration reinforces the competition that is required within a region in order to stay ahead. Otherwise, it is protectionism.....only from other humans we fear could take our job. That's not the right attitude.
JohnT-2516029 -
The masses of illegal aliens who crossed the border from Mexico to clean up the city of New Orleans? Well, they did so at the expense of US workers. The contracting companies got $x to do the work, with complete discretion over who they would employ and at what rate. They imported cheap labor that they could pay less than the prevailing wage and pocket the difference. Winners were contracting bigwigs and illegal aliens. Losers were US workers and taxpayers.
Same as it ever was
John, we give 1 MILLION green cards a year. That number is double the Great Wave. That is all this country can handle and already too much. I've heard men being turned away from construction jobs because they were taken by illegals. We don't need illegal aliens to sustain this country. What we need to do is decrease our immigration numbers, which includes eliminating the incentives for illegal immigration. Make E-Verify mandatory, they'll go away or not come. 22 million Americans are now unemployed. Maybe they'll hope to get those meat-packing, processing plant jobs back- the jobs my uncles did and raised families on! The last two decades of rampant lawless illegal immigration is bankrupting our hospitals, overwhelming our schools, and increased crime, not to mention the social services that they are leaching. You want to continue to skyrocket our population to increase competition?! What you want is a permanent and growing underclass and continued shrinking of the middle class!
JohnT - by more competitive, do you mean that I should find a job that pays half of what it should because that is what an illegal works the same job for? That is a load of crap. If we go by your reasoning then the illegals would have no reason to come here because the wages would be on par with their country. How do you think America got to the point it is at? By lowering the wages? No, we got to where we are (or were) by being the best, not the cheapest. Besides, I heard that most of the people working in New Orleans complained about the wages dropping when the illegals showed up and ICE came in to fix the problem.
The legal immigration reates were at 250,000 people per year in the 70's. Now they are at 1 million per year. If you can't do it legally with those numbers then you don't belong here.
I PRAY that the Dream Act is passed and soon. My son-in-law came to this country via his parents when he was 2. He grew up here, he had part time jobs through high school and yes graduated high school with honors. It wasn't until he applied for college that he found out that he was not a US Citizen. He has been fighting immigration since for just his resident green card so that he can go to college. He has a dream to become a fireman someday. He is a wonderful young man with big dreams and I am proud to call him my son-in-law even though he is illegal.
As many of you have said, he should go back to his country and come here legally. Well he knows no one in Mexico. His family is here, so where does he live, how does he support himself there? Not to mention he has a family of his own here now (my daughter and grandson).
All of you that are so quick to call every illegal immigrant a criminal needs to really look at the situation. The kids that were brought here by their parents through no fault of their own are victims not criminals. I applaud the Dream Act and know that it is only a matter of time before it passes and at that point so many good young people will be able to come out of the shadows and give back to the country that they call home. Remember under the Dream Act they go into the military or go to college, either way they start paying taxes which support our government.
The true founders of our country (the Native Americans) didn't through the Europeans out. They showed them mercy and compassion. Without the Native American's help, the Europeans would not have survived here. I am a Native American and I say lets show these young people some mercy and compassion.
First off if this wonderful young man married a US citizen then he can get a green card and later apply for citizenship. My nephew married a girl from the Philippines, she was here illegally, and with her marriage license got a permit to stay. She has tried six times for citizenship but because she hardly speaks English she cannot understand the questions on the tests. Just because he came here when he was two does not give him a free passage to step if front of the line to get citizenship, first in line to our state colleges ( which are already overcrowded) instead of our own children. first for grants, scholarships and tuition's (also in-state).
As allanna said, why doesn't your daughter marry the father of her child? The only requirements then would be that the sponsor (your daughter) and sponsored (the father) be of good moral character and able to support themselves.
If your son-in-law is illegal, and all his "family" is here, then they must be illegal also. What happens to his family if he is legalized? Does he get to sponsor them, start a chain migration? This is what is bad with this bill. His parents/parent shouldn't be here either and don't deserve a back door amnesty with this bill. This bill needs shot down once and for all, too much fraud and loopholes to legalize the millions here.
Your daughter can sponsor him. It will be a long process but it's the process all those who legally immigrate here must take.
allanna - they are legally married here in the United States and unfortunately under the current immigration laws marriage to a US Citizen does not grant you automatic citizenship or your resident alien card. He is currently in a battle with Immigration to gain resident status here (which is the first step before you can apply for citizenship). Of which my daughter and myself have been trying to "sponsor" him to stay.
Von Fisch - yes his parents (actually on mother now as father has passed away) do live here and yes they are undocumented aliens as well. His two younger siblings were born here but again under the current immigration laws, having a child born here does not grant you automatic citizenship nor resident alien status.
Many of you are very confused and wrong when it comes to our current immigration laws as well as the conditions of the Dream Act. Under current laws marriage to a US Citizen and birth of a child do not grant you any kind of citizenship or your green card (resident alien). The Dream Act prohibits "sponsorship" of extended family for 12 years. So you all really need to read the laws and the Dream Act better before you start preaching that this is bad for us and that it is a backdoor amnesty because it is not. It is a way for young adults and children brought here through no control of their own to become legal and to start contributing to society. Also, not all undocumented aliens are criminals. Many are good people willing to work hard, pay taxes (if allowed) and contribute back to this country. Many are running from the cartels that are killing innocent people every day. Many of these young people do not remember their native country, the United States is all they know.
Our system is broke and has been broke for decades. How else do you explain how an undocumented alien can attend school here in the United States for their entire life and no one knows they are illegal. You cannot punish the kids for the actions of their parents. Allow these kids to legally be here, contribute to our government through taxes, and tell them one screw up on mistake and your privileges are gone. I think you would find that through them getting jobs and paying taxes our governments would not have to place as many cuts on vital services as they do now.
Well said sir.
Allanna,
Please stop spreading ignorant propaganda like, "free passage to step if front of the line to get citizenship, first in line to our state colleges ( which are already overcrowded) instead of our own children. first for grants, scholarships and tuition's (also in-state)." The DREAM Act does NONE OF THESE THINGS. It actually would require them to work for it (go to college or military), be put last in line (after completing the requirements they will not be given automatic residency but will be place at the back of the line behind the applicants who have already applied through our current system, does not grant you automatic admission to any college or put them above anyone else (they for themselves must figure out a way to attend college by having good grades, passing SATs scores, and so on), and are not placed in front of anybody for any grants or scholarships (they have to apply to everything just like everybody else), and shouldn't they receive in-state tuition if they've been living in their state for more than 5 years??? Most states require only 1 year living in state to be a resident. Please feel free to ask me any questions if I am unclear.
for the criminals in dc that are trying to pass and did pass theses bills. dream act-food safty bill-health care bill-nafta- fema camps bill-bank bailout bills.they all should be arrested on the spot and charged with tresion.along with that illegal alien puppet for a president.bring back the federal reserve under the law and not run privalty by foreigners and most of theses problems will clear up.tougher then it sounds,hell jfk got killed for this cause
You spelled treason wrong
Bottom Line to their cute little story; Reid hasn't hoodwinked enough Dems/Repubs to pass this Disgusting piece of Crap Legislation yet. Way to get our economy back into gear Morons! Members of the Senate are more fearful of losing their jobs than their soon to be extinct comrades in the House. I see under 21 year old groups of Illegal Mexicans everyday quickly/quietly pushing 3 or 4 kids in strollers at a time crossing my companys parking lot in Clearwater Fl. They also use their 5 or 6 year old kids to help push the strollers because they have so many anchor babies with them. Their local hang out at a public park is for playing soccer next to the Apartments where they live spouting Spanish only, and twice have damaged my vehicle where they also park and didn't say a thing about it... Why are we NOT enforcing our border? Fortunately Intelligent American Patriots know this Dem scam for what it is, and will fix their arrogant vote buying Agenda in a time of crisis. Americans are demanding "it's the Economy stupid"... Not Legalize the Illegals... How Pathetic the Dems have become.
This does not apply to anchor babies. I agree, we DO need to enforce our border. But this act tries to deal with the people already here - what would you do with the 10.8 million people here? Do you find out what country they are from and ship them back there?
Let's say they are all from Mexico. A one way ticket is $400 multiply that by 10.8 million = not fiscally possible.
Also, how will you find them all? Bust down the doors and check everyones papers? Sounds like a Nazi Jew hunt to me.
This act gives the children who through no fault of their own were brought here. It would generate 1.4 billion dollars in revenue over the next 10 years. It provides the US with military personnel and educated citizens who would pay taxes(when now, they currently don't). Sounds like a good deal.
What about the kid of a legal immigrant then? That kid would be on a dependent visa or an F-1 visa until his/her parents get the citizenship (which takes decades). When this kid graduates from college along with the DREAM act beneficiaries, who do you think will get a job first, or who do you think will get the green card first? It is obviously the latter group as they now have a Visa-free ticket to permanent residency.
Illegal is illegal, no matter what. If at all the government wants to help them out, grant them status on par with the legal immigrant kids, so that there is a level playing field.
Illegals should never have an edge over legals, that is common sense right?
Unfortunately these people tend to have very large families that use more services than their generally low paying jobs taxes pay for (and nothing is paid when the job is under the table). My 16 year old son hasn't been able to find a job due to all the entry level jobs being taken by these people. You think it will be getting better for unemployed Americans if this Bill passes? No way in Hel*, it will be even worse. Look at California as a good exmple of what would be if this law is passed. That should put some common sense into your head. Imagine the whole country paying for these people to start out, then their eligible extended families which is not addressed in this bill and the Flood of even more immigrants coming here to say they've been here all along. No matter what you say government oversight won't be able to keep up with it. There's no need for a "nazi hunt" here those were your words... Take the jobs away and public assistance and they will leave willingly with no cost to "forcibly" remove them. Take a look at this website with Videos showing thousands of illegals crossing our border everyday if you can face the Truth, and maybe you will grasp the dire situation we face from the Illegal Invaders. I dare you....
http://www.borderinvasionpics.com/
@ Earle you are a well read man and have a good understanding of the situation. However, the issue with closing the borders is not addressed in this Act nor is it this Acts intent. As mentioned above, I do believe that we need to close the borders - it is of utmost importance.
When I was 16 - I worked at a dry cleaners so that I could have a job. I was willing to do the "@!$%#ty" work so I can have some sort of income. I also worked at a fast food chain so i understand what it is to be able to get an entry level job.
The whole country would not be paying for "these people" to start out. "These people" would be paying back the country where right now they can/do not. Fueling the economy is not just taxes but consumerism as well. Better paying jobs, tuition costs, loans all will be factors in this case to drive the economy. Regarding an impending "immigration surge" these people have a very limited ability to sponsor people. But really there are two issues at hand 1) dealing with the immigrants we have here 2) closing the borders. The Dream Act helps deal with the immigrants here. Hopefully closing the borders is next.
Lastly, the people that are eligible in this bill have to be between ages 12-30 if/when the bill is passed and be able to proof of five years of residency and having arrived in the United States by age 18.
Lets just agree that we disagree. Border enforcement first, then we talk about a way to expedite a path to becoming a U.S. citizen. Of course a meaningful debate to determine cause/effect in Congress and time to let American unemployment stabilize below 6%. Lame Duck is not the correct time for this to Pass.
It is an absolute DISGRACE that Dream Act is being proposed right now when, as we speak, people are still climbing over the fence, sneaking through the border. No to anything until that border is closed and heavily patrolled. I don't want to hear any crying about the great U.S. having a border fence but we have an ongoing issue here that won't stop, not to mention the border crime and drugs, and who knows how many terrorists? It's high time there is a fence, a real fence, and more patrol.
Earle,
It's just like an Anti-Dream Act individual such as yourself to be misinformed on the bill, then when provided with factual information, reside to another issue such as the border. I hate to break it to you, but the border will never be "closed". Do you know the wasted millions of dollars that have already gone into the border wall that was approved during the bush era and runs through half of the Texas border and part of the California border? And it has done nothing! What we should be placing our efforts in is combating border crime as well as drug trafficking. THAT is the real danger, not simple families escaping violence and are basically economic refugees, trying to better themselves and without a handout. Undocumented individuals cannot apply for welfare, food stamps, unemployment or any of these services. Yet many work a fake SS #, which provides a constant flow of money into our SS system of which they will never see a dime of because their number is a fake. All baby boomers should be thanking these individuals for aiding the SS System deficit we will soon see.
wow- you have no clue. Everyday I see ILLEGALS in Wal-Mart using food stamps. I see them in the emergency room and KNOW there is no way they can pay for the services they receive, with that many kids. Even when I had health insurance and no kids I couldn't afford the emergency room. It is also illegal for an illegal immigrant to vote but I see that too. I can go to any city and get a fake driver's license, fake ID and fake SS card for $100. That is ALL it takes to get welfare, food stamps and subsidized housing. There are ways around the law - they have proved that by being here.
Those who oppose the Dream Act just don't believe or want diversity in our society. Is it the fault of a person qualifed for the Dream Act that they were born in this country when their parents came here illegally? These are people who want to do good for our society. They want to learn English. They want to serve in the military honorably. Sorry Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, you are so far to the right you could have served Adolf Hitler had you lived in Germany during the 1930's and 1940's. Or served Joseph Stalin in Communist Russia.
Admit it, Senator Sessions, you are hater from the word go. That's right a bigoted hater!
As a parent I came to the USA in 1989, I was granted an investors visa and lived and worked here every year since. My two sons were 7 and 5. They are now 29 and 26. I am a greencard holder and will apply for citizenship in 2012. My sons aged out at 21, my eldest returned to the UK frustrated with the fact he was unable to work ( legally) and even unable to drive a car. My youngest has stayed. He has no status, the Dream Act would also help him. The legal process has failed my sons, it could be another 10 years before they could get a greencard through me, so even following the rules and being here legally - the system does not work!!!!
Those opposed to this need to read this bill. First off, these kids are not criminals. They want to educate themselves, and work, and that will lead to billions of dollars in taxes that the US will gain over the next several years. Some of you want to talk about where our money goes? How about overseas. Or how about the money wasted in the horrible constructed prison systems. Or better yet, the billions that go to fraudulent recipients of SSI? One more: what about the Republican demanding tax cuts for million and billionaires? Those who are opposed also don't want these Dreamers (of all ethnic backgrounds not just Mexicans) to succeed because they are racist. American born kids don't want to take advantage of our education system. We are ALL IMMIGRANTS. What if the Natives had some sort of vote before the Spaniards and other Europeans came over? All of you reading this now have ancestors who came here as immigrants and they were given the chance to come start a new life here. Immigration laws are really, really tough, especially after 9/11. It can take over 10 years for your case to even come up with the INS. I will say, however, those who commit crimes should be deported. And whether you like it or not, the illegals are not going anywhere. They will continue to attend schools and work illegally. And thats because they cant sit on their asses and collect unemployment.
Technically yes the kids are committing criminal acts because of their irresponsible parents. If I broke into my neighbors vacation home and lived their with my kids when we are caught we all must leave even the poor children. Sadly children suffer all the time because of the stupidity of their parents. One thing the illegals have in their favor by being in this country is it should be easier for them to get sponsors to help them get visas when they go home as they already know people here.
@ Alice - If you are here illegally you may be barred from the country anywhere from 5-10 years. As i posted above in response to Earle.
What would you do with the 10.8 million people illegally here? Do you find out what country they are from and ship them back there?
Let's say they are all from Mexico. A one way ticket is $400 multiply that by 10.8 million = not fiscally possible.
Also, how will you find them all? Bust down the doors and check everyones papers? Sounds like a Nazi Jew hunt to me.
This act gives the children who through no fault of their own were brought here. It would generate 1.4 billion dollars in revenue over the next 10 years. It provides the US with military personnel and educated citizens who would pay taxes(when now, they currently don't). Sounds like a good deal.
$400.00 would be cheap...$4000.00 would be cheap. Do you have any idea what we spend on benefits for illegals? Obviously not!
@ Alice
We enforce our borders. We provide a path to citizenship for the ones of "good moral" standing and deport the ones that we catch committing crimes.
We make "them" serve in our military or get a higher education(with no benefits from the government) tax them(instead of currently not and having them work illegally and be a drain on "our" money), let them pay back the country for what they owe and "they" become we.
Thats what the Dream Act does.
make them serve in the military? It is a privilege and not all citizens get that honor. Who is paying for college? my sons didn't get one red cent free for their college ...
excuse me alice - give them the privilege to serve in the military but they would be serving nonetheless.
the onus would be on the immigrant to pay for their higher education and if they do not they would no longer be eligible for conditional residency status as provided by the dream act. they would not be eligible for federal/state grants as stated in the text of the act.
Alice,
Have you paid any attention to what our military leaders have said on the DREAM Act and their giant support for it??? It is overwhelming how many are for it. And you said, "Do you have any idea what we spend on benefits for illegals? Obviously not!", please I would like to know that figure. What "benefits" do undocumented individuals receive that is so much more than the 5+ billion it would take to send every undocumented individual home, not to mention the other billions it would cost to find them or the billions is would cost to pay personnel to carry out such a ridiculous event. AND EVEN OUR OWN The Congressional Budget Office has said the measure would cut the federal deficit by $1.4 billion and increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next decade. And that doesn't even take into account the positive contributions to society these young men and women will have in the coming years.