THE DREAM CHILDREN

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. The DREAM Act. What if you finish high school and you are not allowed to enroll in college for a crime your parents commit? Picture it, you have been living in the United States all your life or at least since you where a kid, you made a great effort to finish high school, but now, you can’t pursue your dreams and serve to what is now your country.

Under current immigration regulations, children who immigrate to the United States from another country can only obtain permanent status through their parents and may not independently apply for Residency. Such children are allowed to attend and complete public education, but upon graduation, are not allowed to attend college in many States. Further, without proof of legal immigration status, such children are generally not issued Driver’s Licenses, Social Security cards and cannot legally work. (DREAMACT2009.ORG)

What do you think those 65,000 immigrant students that graduate each year will do? That can become a problem. If is not already. Today I will tell you the solution for that problem. Sponsored by Senator Lugar from Indiana and Senator Durbin from Illinois, among others, the basic idea of the dream act is to allow certain illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age and who have been educated in American schools to become permanent residents.

 Once the DREAM Act made into law, immigrants meeting the criteria will essentially have the opportunity to “earn” Permanent Residency. This means that students will be issued temporary Residency for a period of six years, which is conditioned upon meeting certain educational or military requirements. Within the six year temporary Residency period, a qualified student must attend college, and earn at least a two year degree (AA), or serve in the U.S. Military for two years in order to maintain immigration benefits. Once the immigrant has met all of the conditions at the end of the 6-year conditional period, they will be granted Permanent Residency, which will lead to U.S. citizenship. However, if the student does not comply with either the college requirement or military service requirement, the temporary Residency will be taken away and student will be subjected to deportation. (DREAMACT2009.ORG)

Under the new DREAM Act, immigrants may qualify in part, by meeting the following requirements which have not been finalized by Congress:

-  Must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time the Law is enacted

-  Must have arrived in the United States before the age of 16

-  Must have resided continuously in the United States for a least five (5) consecutive years since  

   the date of their arrival

-  Must have graduated from a U.S. High School, or obtained a General Education Diploma

-  Must have “Good moral character”

In addition to the temporary Residency, immigrant students who qualify would also be entitled to apply for student loans and work study, but would not be eligible for Pell educational grants. In certain circumstances, the immigrant may lose temporary immigration Residency. This may occur if the immigrant does not meet the educational or military service requirement within the six year time period or if they commit any crimes (other than those considered non-drug related misdemeanors) regardless of whether or not they have already been approved for permanent status at the end of their six years. If an immigrant is convicted of a major crime, or drug-related infraction, he or she would automatically lose the six year temporary residence status and be immediately subject to deportation. (DREAMACT2009.ORG)

Several different versions of the current Dream Act were introduced into Congress in 2001, 2005 and 2007, but never made it to passage.

Much of the Dream Act text was also made part of several other failed immigration-related bills, including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007. The failure of these past immigration reform efforts was largely blamed on Republicans, who generally oppose immigration reform. However, in recent years, Senator McCain and other prominent Senate and House Republicans have signaled a shift by supporting such initiatives.

As James Walsh states in his article “Dream Act Creates Nightmare Scenario” in www.newsmax.com who opposes are worried about the costs of education and the lack of a guarantee that DREAM children will stay in the United States after taxpayers provide their education. An estimated 65,000 DREAM “children” would be eligible for all benefits provided to U.S. citizens (ages 12 to 18). In addition, many DREAM “children” could qualify for minority entitlements, causing U.S. citizens to lose out on college placement and financial aid.
Current immigration regulations provide that children who immigrate, legally, to the United States can only obtain permanent status through their parents and may not apply independently for residency. In contrast, DREAM “children” could apply to bring in parents and other relatives under current family reunification provisions.
Immigrant advocates have a cautious ally in the White House. Obama, as a U.S. Senator in 2007, voted against an amendment that would permanently bar immigration by gang members, terrorists, and other criminals (SA-1184). He also voted against an amendment that would have enabled state and local officials to inquire about a person’s immigration status (SA-1158). That same year, he voted for the ill-fated DREAM Act (S-2205).
Under current federal law, immigration and naturalization procedures remain poorly administered, and investigations are haphazard or done in ways that have not been planned.   The U.S. Congress is to blame for failed oversight.

First, to be eligible for permanent residency under the DREAM Act, the individual must have entered the United States before turning 16 years of age and must have been in the United States for at least five years without interruption. The individual must also demonstrate the ability to speak English.

Conditional residents under the DREAM Act will be eligible for private loans to fund their education, but will not be eligible for Pell grants. Under the DREAM Act, 65,000 students could become conditional residents each year, and eventually become permanent residents and citizens if they comply with current immigration rules and regulations. (Cullwell Allan L.)

President Obama just released an Executive Order, dated October 19, 2010 tilted White House Initiative On Educational Excellence For Hispanics and its purpose, as it reads is “…to restore the country to its role as the global leader in education, to strengthen the Nation by expanding educational opportunities and improving educational outcomes for Hispanics and Latinos (Hispanics) of all ages, and to help ensure that all Hispanics receive an education that properly prepares them for college, productive careers, and satisfying lives…”

You can read more about this proposed law and its benefits on http://dreamact2009.org and you can sign the petition to pass it. As Senator Leahy on his Introduction Statement “DREAM ACT of 2009″ Bill wrote: “This legislation has the potential to change the lives of many young people in an extraordinary and positive way and is an investment in America’s future. The Senate has attempted several times to pass the DREAM Act, but the bitter politics of immigration have stalled our best efforts in the past.”

I am just asking you to read about it. To think about it, to make your own opinion and if you agree that illegal alien students should not be held liable for the immigrant status of their parents and that education is the key to America’s future progress, please sign the petition.