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I know NT isn't big on long reads, but there is a cliffnote at the end.
The DREAM Act, S. 2075, was introduced in November 2005 by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar (R-IN), to amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA). The DREAM Act removes the section of the IIRIRA that discourages states from providing in-state tuition to undocumented students and creates the opportunity for these students to achieve permanent resident status. This bill addresses the reality of young people who have been raised in the U.S. and have graduated from U.S. high schools, but cannot pursue higher education because of barriers posed by current immigration laws. Today, an estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year without hope of pursuing a higher education."
Basically, this bill would allow undocumented students who enter a college or university and graduate with a degree, to apply for residency. This would enable them to work LEGALLY in the United States and live without fear of persecution or deportation. This bill affects thousands upon thousands of young intelligent and dedicated students who did not choose to come to this country and were brought here by their parents. The DREAM act would also alleviate the influx of undocumented immigrants into the states and would allow promising young adults the opportunity to make their dreams and aspirations a reality.
The last time the DREAM act was voted on by the Senate, the votes were split right in the middle. Half saying no, half saying yes. The newly elected senators and representatives should vote on the issue in the near future.
Recent speech by Senator Durbin:
If we want to solve the problem of illegal immigration, we have to secure our border, strengthen enforcement of our immigration laws, and address the situation of approximately 12 million undocumented people in our country. That is a comprehensive approach.
I hope we will have a chance, though I am doubtful, to offer amendments to this bill. It would be good to return to some of the elements of the earlier bill which had widespread support. Sixty-four Senators voted for the bill, the McCain-Kennedy comprehensive immigration bill. I was one of them. We believe this was a good, bipartisan effort to deal with a very tough problem. We need that kind of comprehensive approach.
That bill included a provision which I will offer as an amendment to this bill, if given an opportunity. It is called the DREAM Act. This is a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure I have introduced with Senators HAGEL and LUGAR, both Republican colleagues, who have joined me and many Democratic Senators in this bipartisan effort. This gives undocumented students the chance to become permanent residents if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, no criminal record, will attend college or enlist in the military for at least 2 years.
Currently, our immigration laws prevent thousands of young people from pursuing their dreams and fully contributing to the Nation's future. They are honor roll students, star athletes, talented artists, valedictorians, aspiring teachers, doctors, scientists, and engineers. These young people have lived in this country for most of their lives. Their parents brought them here. It is the only home they know. They are assimilated and acculturated into American society. They are American in every sense of the word except for their technical legal status.
They have beaten the odds in their young lives. The high school dropout rate among undocumented immigrants is 50 percent, compared to 21 percent for legal immigrants and 11 percent for native-born Americans. So the odds are against these kids ever graduating from high school. These children we are talking about in this bill, the DREAM Act, have demonstrated the kind of determination and commitment that makes them successful students and points the way to the significant contributions they can make in their lives. These students are tomorrow's teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs. They have the opportunity to make America in the 21st century a success story if their talents can be part of that success.
The DREAM Act would help them. It is not an amnesty. It does not say automatically that they are going to be citizens. It is designed to assist only a select group of them, the very best of the best, young people who have done nothing wrong in their lives, good moral character, finished high school, who then enlist in our military for at least 2 years or pursue a college education. That gives them the chance to earn their way toward citizenship. This offers no incentive for undocumented immigrants to enter the country and requires the beneficiaries to have been in the country for at least 5 years when the bill is signed.
It would repeal a provision of Federal law that prevents individual States from granting instate tuition rates to these students. It would not create any new tuition breaks. It would not force
[Page: S9886] GPO's PDFStates to offer instate tuition to these students. It is a State decision. Each State decides. It would simply return to States the authority to make that decision.
It is not just the right thing to do, it is a good thing for America. It will allow a generation of immigrant students with great potential and ambition to contribute fully to America.
According to the Census Bureau, the average college graduate earns $1 million more in her or his lifetime than the average high school dropout. This translates into increased taxes and reduced social welfare and criminal justice costs.
There is another way our country would benefit from these thousands of highly qualified, well-educated young people who are eager to be part of America. They want to serve, many of them, in our military. At a time when our military is lowering its standards due to serious recruiting shortfalls, we should not underestimate the significance of these young people as a national security asset.
The Department of Defense has shown increased interest in this bill, understanding that there is a talent pool of these young people who are technically undocumented but want to live in the United States and serve our country. They need that talent. We need that talent as a nation.
On July 10, the Senate Committee on Armed Services held a hearing on the contributions of immigrants to the military. David Chu, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, said the following:
There are an estimated 50,000 to 65,000 undocumented alien young adults who enter the United States at an early age and graduate from high school each year, many of whom are bright, energetic and potentially interested in military service. They include many who have participated in high school Junior ROTC programs. Under current law, these people are not eligible to enlist in the military. If their parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, most of these young people have no mechanism to obtain legal residency even if they have lived most of their lives here. Yet many of these young people may wish to join the military, and have the attributes needed--education, aptitude, fitness and moral qualifications. In fact, many are High School Diploma Graduates, and may have fluent language skills--both in English and their native language ..... the DREAM Act would provide these young people the opportunity of serving the United States in uniform.
If we are talking about making America more secure
safe, why would we turn our backs on the opportunity for these young people who came to America at an early age, who have beaten the odds by graduating from high school, who have good moral character and want to be part of our future, why would we turn down their opportunity to serve in our military?
The DREAM Act is supported by a broad coalition of the Senate, by religious leaders, advocates across the country, and educators across the political spectrum. Any real and comprehensive solution to the problem of illegal immigration must include the DREAM Act.
The last point I make is this: We are asked regularly here to expand something called an H-1B visa. An H-1B visa is a special visa given to foreigners to come to the United States to work because we understand that in many businesses and many places where people work--hospitals and schools and the like--there are specialties which we need more of.
I can recall Bill Gates coming to meet me in my office. Of course, his success at Microsoft is legendary. He talked about the need for computer engineers and how we had to import these engineers from foreign countries to meet the need in the United States. He challenged me. He said: If you will not allow me to bring the computer engineers in, I may have to move my production offshore, and I don't want to do that.
That is an interesting dilemma. Now put it in the context of this conversation. Why would we tell these young people, who have beaten the odds and shown such great potential, to leave America at this moment and then turn around in the next breath and say we are going to open the gates of America for other foreigners to come in and make our economy stronger? Why aren't we using these young people as a resource for our future? They have been here. They have lived here for a long period of time. They understand America. They are acculturated to America, and they want to make America better.
Instead of looking overseas at how we can lure more people in to strengthen our economy, we need only look right here at home. As Mr. Chu, from the Department of Defense, said there are 50,000 to 65,000 of these students each year. Why would we give up on them when they can be not only tomorrow's soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen, but they can be tomorrow's doctors, scientists, and engineers?
If given the opportunity, and I certainly hope I will on this bill, I will offer the DREAM Act. I want my colleagues to join me on a bipartisan basis.
I walk around in the city of Chicago and other places in my State, and a number of young people who would be benefited by this bill come up to me. They tell me stories which are inspiring in one respect and heartbreaking in another--inspiring because some of them, with no help, no financial aid, have made it through college. One of them, a young man I continue to follow with great anticipation, is now working on a master's degree. He wants to go into medical research. He is good. He is a great scientist, a young scientist who wants to make this a better world. He is one of these undocumented kids, now a young man. Why would we give up on him?
These high school students who have worked so hard in neighborhoods and communities where it is very tough to succeed, they turn their backs on crime, drugs, and all the temptations out there and are graduating at the top of their class, they come to me and say: Senator, I want to be an American; I want to have a chance to make this a better country. This is my home. They ask me: When are you going to pass the DREAM Act? I come back here and think: What have I done lately to help these young people?
We can do something. It is not for me; it is not for the Senate; it is for this country. Let's take this great resource and let's use it for our benefit as a nation. We will be a stronger and better nation if we do.
For all the people who wish not to read the whole thing...
There are a lot of people especially students that I know personally who are undocumented immigrants who came into this country at a very young age.Theyexcelled at school and has never gotten into any trouble with the law. Many of them (Valedictorians of their classes) cannot afford to pursue higher educationbecause of their legal status, and are forced to pick up odd jobs. They cannot even receive scholarships, because you must be a legal resident of this countryto be granted one.
The DREAM Act is a piece of proposed federal legislation in the United States that would provide achieving undocumented graduated high school students thatarrived to the United States as children, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, the opportunityto earn permanent residency. The students will obtain temporary residency for a lapse of six years. Within the six year period, a qualified student must attendcollege, and earn a two year degree, or serve in the military for two years in order to earn permanent residency after the six years period. If student doesnot comply with either his/her college requirement or military service requirement, temporary residency will be taken away and student will be subjected todeportation.
