The DREAM Act
This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that he will move a defense authorization bill next week that includes the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, along with a measure that begins the process of repealing the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy. The DREAM Act is an immigration bill that would put undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as children on a path to citizenship through completion of higher education or military service. While the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to include the DADT measure earlier this year, Reid has promised to attach the DREAM Act provisions to the defense measure and has scheduled a vote on proceeding to the bill for next week. Meanwhile, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) -- which, while consistently supportive of the DREAM Act, has long argued that it must be part of a comprehensive immigration bill -- announced its support. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who plans on introducing comprehensive legislation in October, stated on Wednesday that he backs a vote on the DREAM act without amendments "so we can know who stands with those students." That night, at the gala dinner for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, President Obama promised to help win passage of the DREAM Act and assured Latinos that he was not walking away from immigration reform.
DREAM ACT PROVISIONS: The DREAM Act would accomplish two major goals: 1) Allow certain undocumented immigrant youth who were brought to the U.S. by their parents at a young age to eventually obtain legal permanent status and 2) Eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status. Young immigrants must meet several strict requirements to enjoy the benefits of the DREAM Act. They must be under the age of 35, have entered the U.S. before the age of 16, been present in the U.S. for at least five consecutive years prior to enactment of the bill, studied for at least two years towards a higher degree or served in the U.S. armed forces for at least two years. From there, eligible candidates must undergo a background check and verify that they have "good moral character." A study released by the Migration Policy Institute this summer estimated that out of the 2.1 million potential beneficiaries of DREAM Act legislation, 38 percent (825,000 people) would actually obtain permanent legal status due to the bill's requisites. The latest version of the DREAM Act was a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced in 2009 by Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN). A June 2010 national poll of 1,008 adults revealed that 70 percent of voters support the DREAM Act, across party lines. The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy predicts the DREAM Act would boost the American middle class by allowing bright unauthorized immigrant students to contribute more to the economic prosperity. The College Board writes, "In strictly economic terms, the contributions that DREAM Act students would make over their lifetimes would dwarf the small additional investment in their education beyond high school, and the intangible benefits of legalizing and educating these students would be significant." It's also hard to defend the idea that young children who were brought to the U.S. through no fault of their own should be punished for their parents' actions.
THE DEFENSE CONNECTION: Since Reid announced that the defense authorization bill will include a DREAM Act provision, Republicans have accused the Majority Leader of "using the defense bill in a political fashion." While it would be naive to suggest that Reid's decision to include the DREAM Act has nothing to do with politics, it also has a lot to do with defense. In fact, the DREAM Act was specifically cited in the Department of Defense's FY2010-12 Strategic Plan to help the military "shape and maintain a mission-ready All Volunteer Force." Many military experts have come out in support of the DREAM Act because it would significantly increase the pool of qualified recruits in the Latino population, which comprises the majority of undocumented immigrants and is more likely to enlist and serve in the military than any other group. Margaret Stock, retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, has stated, "Potential DREAM Act beneficiaries are also likely to be a military recruiter's dream candidates for enlistment. ... In a time when qualified recruits -- particularly ones with foreign language skills and foreign cultural awareness -- are in short supply, enforcing deportation laws against these young people makes no sense. Americans who care about our national security should encourage Congress to pass the DREAM Act." Conservative military scholar Max Boot has stated, "I think it's crazy we are not tapping into it." Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, Bill Carr, has similarly called the DREAM Act "very appealing" to the military "because it would apply to the 'cream of the crop' of students" and be "good for [military] readiness." According to Jorge Mariscal of the University of California, San Diego, the military provision of the DREAM Act was "there at the beginning, the Pentagon helped write the DREAM Act." The DREAM Act is undeniably related to both the nation's economic and military interests. Yet, while young undocumented immigrants who risk their lives to defend the U.S. certainly deserve legal immigration status, others have warned of the potential implications of this military strategy, particularly for the Latino community.
GOP BACKLASH: Republicans have been balking at Reid's proposal all week. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), who introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2007, said that including an immigration provision as an amendment to the defense authorization bill "would be a mistake." Sen. John Thune (R-SD) concurred with Kyl, saying he would "oppose an effort to add the legislation, or any non-military amendments, to the defense bill." "It's totally unrelated to the defense authorization bill. ... Last year they dumped hate crimes onto this. The defense bill ought to be about taking care of our military," said Thune. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) stated, "I think it's despicable." Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) claimed the "DREAM Act is a nightmare for the American people." Three years ago, Republican Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett voted to add the DREAM Act to the defense authorization bill. However, now even Hatch and Bennett are sticking with their party and plan on voting no. The most hypocritical opposition has come from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who co-sponsored the DREAM Act in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and has since flip-flopped on the immigration issue and vowed to block the DREAM Act in 2010. "It's a pure political act for Harry Reid, who is worried about his own re-election and that of the Democrats in the Senate," said McCain. However, there are some Republicans in favor of the DREAM Act. California Senate candidate and immigration hawk Carly Fiorina (R) has indicated, "I would support the DREAM Act because I do not believe that we can punish children who through no fault of their own are here trying to live the American dream." Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), who supported a state bill in 2005 that provided undocumented immigrants who met certain requirements with state-sponsored scholarships, recently stated "I'd rather have that [undocumented] kid a neurosurgeon than a tomato picker. I'd rather him be a taxpayer than a tax taker. And for that I offer no apology."
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