immigration debate
I. Intro: The Democratic Party has fiercely advocated for the enactment of the DREAM Act. Republicans however have strongly opposed it and have left little hope for any reform for illegal immigrants. However not passing the DREAM Act and stalling on reform for illegal immigrants is doing an injustice to these immigrants and most importantly to American citizens. Today many US citizens suffer from a depleting economy and anything that can help revive it should and must be done. I see the DREAM Act as a great opportunity to aid and provide relief to the economy.
II. The DREAM Act: The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), is a proposed bipartisan legislation that is meant to provide amnesty and relief for many young persons who came to the US unwillingly. Senator Orin Harten (R-UT) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) pioneered this legislation. (Dreamact.info) Although a Republican is involved in pioneering this legislation, the majority of the party has strongly rejected the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a bill that “would provide certain illegal and deportable alien students who graduate from US high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. illegally as minors, and have been in the country continuously and illegally for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning.” (Debatepedia.org). The conditions of the bill are that the persons must have entered the country before the age of 16 and one also must be between the ages of 12-35 to qualify. This Act is meant to provide a solution to around two million undocumented immigrants of the 11.5 that are currently living in the US.
III. The Debate: An Economic Opportunity Republicans have been reluctant to afford illegal aliens any type of relief regardless of the reasons they are here. As a New York
II. The DREAM Act: The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), is a proposed bipartisan legislation that is meant to provide amnesty and relief for many young persons who came to the US unwillingly. Senator Orin Harten (R-UT) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) pioneered this legislation. (Dreamact.info) Although a Republican is involved in pioneering this legislation, the majority of the party has strongly rejected the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a bill that “would provide certain illegal and deportable alien students who graduate from US high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. illegally as minors, and have been in the country continuously and illegally for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning.” (Debatepedia.org). The conditions of the bill are that the persons must have entered the country before the age of 16 and one also must be between the ages of 12-35 to qualify. This Act is meant to provide a solution to around two million undocumented immigrants of the 11.5 that are currently living in the US.
III. The Debate: An Economic Opportunity Republicans have been reluctant to afford illegal aliens any type of relief regardless of the reasons they are here. As a New York
Cited: "Debate: DREAM Act Background and Context." - Debatepedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . "The DREAM Act." Welcome to the DREAM Act Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . "EDITORIAL; A Dream Act Without the Dream." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Mcduffee, Allen. "Report: DREAM Act Would Add $329 Billion to U.S. Economy by 2030." Http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/thinktanked/wp/2012/10/01/dream-act-immigration-329-billion-to-u-s-economy-by-2030/. N.p., 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.