On Wednesday, December 8, the House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 216-198. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (the DREAM Act) was first proposed in the United States Senate in 2001 and was re-introduced there and the House of Representatives in 2009.
This decade-old measure contains provisions for undocumented students who graduate from high school to gain temporary legal residency, and later permanent legal residency. However, a student must have lived in the U.S. for five years, must have been brought here before age 16 and must be of good moral character. Within six years, the student could be considered for permanent legal residency if he or she graduates from a two-year college or completes two years toward a four-year degree or serves two years in the U.S. military.
The Bill is likely to go before the US Senate as early as this coming week, and requires a minimum of 60 votes before it can be sent to the President for his signature. While this may not appear to be a proper solution to the immigration problem, it will certainly lessen the cries of the innocent, and open new doors for their overall growth in this land of opportunities.
According to information posted by the American Immigration Council on their website, approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school, each year, but cannot go to college, join the military, work, or otherwise pursue their dreams. This 1.5 generation—any immigrant brought to the United States at a young age - are raised in this country and therefore share much in common with second generation Americans. These students are culturally American, growing up here and often having little attachment to their country of birth. They tend to be bicultural and fluent in English. Many don’t even know that they are undocumented immigrants until they apply for a driver’s license or college, and then learn they lack Social Security numbers and other necessary legal documents.
Here are some of the benefits/reasons given for supporting/advocating for the DREAM ACT:
The DREAM Act would be a boon to the economy and the U.S. workforce. Moreover, as the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) has pointed out, “The DREAM Act would create an unprecedented opportunity for many young people to step onto a path to permanent legal status, a path that would require them to demonstrate either a significant investment in their human capital or service to the United States through membership in the armed forces.” The DREAM Act presents an opportunity that should not be wasted.
What Would the DREAM Act Do? ▲
The DREAM Act addresses the plight of young undocumented immigrants growing up in the United States who wish to go to college and obtain lawful employment. The bill allows current, former, and future undocumented high-school graduates and GED recipients a pathway to U.S. citizenship through college or the armed services.
• An undocumented high-school graduate or GED recipient would be eligible to adjust to conditional lawful permanent resident (LPR) status if they have been physically present in the United States for at least five years and were younger than 16 when they first entered the country.
• This LPR status would be granted on a conditional basis and valid for six years, during which time the student would be allowed to work, go to school, or join the military.
• The “conditional” status would be removed and the person granted LPR status after six years once the student has either completed two years in a program for a bachelor’s degree or higher degree or has served in the armed services for at least two years and, if discharged, has received an honorable discharge.
• DREAM Act students would not be eligible for federal education grants. Students would, however, be eligible for federal work study and student loans, and individual states would not be restricted from providing financial aid to the students.
Who Would Benefit from the DREAM Act? ▲
There are an estimated 2.1 million undocumented children and young adults in the United States who might be eligible for legal status under the DREAM Act. For many of these young people, the United States is the only home they know and English is their first language. Each year, tens of thousands of them graduate from primary or secondary school, often at the top of their classes. They have the potential to be future doctors, nurses, teachers, and entrepreneurs, but they experience unique hurdles to achieving success in this country. Through no fault of their own, their lack of status may prevent them from attending college or working legally. The DREAM Act would provide an opportunity for them to live up to their full potential and make greater contributions to the U.S. economy and society.
• 114,000 potential beneficiaries with at least an associate’s degree would be immediately eligible for conditional LPR status.
• 612,000 potential beneficiaries would be immediately eligible for conditional LPR status because they already have a high-school diploma or GED (and would have the incentive to complete two years of college or two years of military service to be eligible for permanent status).
• 934,000 children under 18 could be eligible for conditional LPR status in the future, which would provide them with incentives to finish high school and pursue a post-secondary education or join the military.
• 489,000 potential beneficiaries could be eligible for conditional LPR status in the future if they obtain a GED.
DREAM Act-eligible immigrants live in all 50 states, but some states have far more potential beneficiaries than others. The top ten states with the largest number of potential DREAM Act beneficiaries are California (26% of the national total), Texas (12%), Florida (9%), New York (7%), Arizona (5%), Illinois (4%), New Jersey (4%), Georgia (3%), North Carolina (2%), and Colorado (2%). All other states combined are home to one-quarter of potential DREAM Act beneficiaries.
What are the Economic Benefits of the DREAM Act? ▲
• The DREAM Act would give beneficiaries access to greater educational opportunities and better jobs, which in turn means more taxable income: A 2010 study by the UCLA North American Integration and Development Center estimates that the total earnings of DREAM Act beneficiaries over the course of their working lives would be between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion. A 2008 study from Arizona State University found that an individual with a bachelor’s degree earns approximately $750,000 more over the course of his or her lifetime than an individual with only a high-school diploma. As of 2006, workers without a high-school diploma earned $419 per week and had an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent. Workers with a bachelor’s degree earned $962 per week and had an unemployment rate of 2.3 percent, while workers with a doctoral degree earned $1,441 per week and had an unemployment rate of 1.4 percent. A study by the College Board found that over the course of their working lives, the average college graduate earns in excess of 60 percent more than a high-school graduate, and workers with advanced degrees earn two to three times as much as high-school graduates. The U.S. Department of Labor found that the wages of immigrants in the 1986 legalization increased 15 percent over five years, and that the immigrants move on to “significantly better jobs.”
• The DREAM Act would allow legalized immigrants to invest in the U.S. economy: Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda of the University of California, Los Angeles, and others have studied the impact of legalization and found important long-term improvements among previously undocumented immigrants. Specifically, removing the uncertainty of undocumented status allows legalized immigrants to earn higher wages and move into higher-paying occupations, and also encourages them to invest more in their own education, open bank accounts, buy homes, and start businesses.
• The DREAM Act would save taxpayers money: According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the House version of the DREAM Act (H.R. 6497), as introduced on December 7, 2010, "would reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period." The CBO estimated that the Senate version of the DREAM Act (S. 3992), as introduced on November 30, 2010, "would reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period." A RAND study from 1999 shows that raising the college graduation rate of Hispanics to that of non-Hispanic whites would increase spending on public education by 10 percent nationwide, but the costs would be more than offset by savings in public health and benefits, as well as increased tax revenues resulting from higher incomes. For example, a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman with a college degree will pay $5,300 more in taxes and use $3,900 less in government expenses each year compared to a high-school dropout with similar characteristics.
• The DREAM Act would likely reduce the drop-out rate for immigrant students by creating a strong incentive for undocumented students to remain in school until graduation. Currently, most undocumented children are forced to work illegally in the cash economy as domestic servants, day laborers, and sweatshop factory workers. The DREAM Act would make these children lawfully eligible to work, and help fill positions like teachers, nurses, and service employees—positions that have long been in demand in the United States.
The DREAM Act keeps talented students in the United States: Letting the talent of DREAM Act students go to waste “imposes economic and emotional costs on undocumented students and on U.S. society as a whole.” The DREAM Act would also stop brain drain by allowing our most talented students to remain in the country. Currently, only 5-10 percent of undocumented high-school graduates go to college.
What are the Additional Benefits of the DREAM Act? ▲
• The DREAM Act would help universities. The 10 states which, since 2001, have passed laws allowing undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition have not experienced a large influx of new immigrant students that displaces native-born students. These states (Texas, California, Utah, Washington, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, and Nebraska) are home to about half of the nation’s undocumented immigrants. The measures actually tend to increase school revenues as students who would not normally attend college start to pay tuition.
• The DREAM Act would aid military recruiting. The DREAM Act would help the military find new recruits—almost 8 percent of the current armed forces are foreign-born, and the military relies heavily on the translation and cultural expertise of immigrants. According to West Point Professor Lt. Col. Margaret Stock, the DREAM Act “would be tremendously beneficial to the military. It gives the opportunity to enlist hundreds of thousands of high-quality people.” DREAM Act students are so desirable that the Department of Defense has supported the bill to help enlist new recruits and maintain the strength of the military. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, Bill Carr, supports the DREAM Act and stated that the law would be “good for readiness” and would help to recruit “cream of the crop” students.
For more info visit the AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL website at http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/dream-act#do
Aiming to Forge a New & Dynamic Caribbean, this blog provides a forum for discussions on: 1) Transnationalism and law - implications for people moving frequently between host and donor countries. 2) The environment & development -nexus between people, the environment and law. 3) Sustainable environmental initiatives: carbon reduction, alternative sources of energy - wind power, solar energy and hydro-power.
