The American Dream Research Paper
Dare to DREAM “O my God,
Give me a wonderful dream,
Hope for a successful dream
Give me the best dream.
I have a dream
Now,
Tonight and,
Tomorrow.
A dream within a dream,
Dream of guardian angel,
Dream of seeing myself,
Being success and happy.
I have a dream
Dream of heaven
Dream of success
Dream of happiness
I have a dream,
A Dream to become
What I want to become,
Dream of my coming
I have a dream,
Dream to freedom
Dream of enlightenment
Dreaming endlessly.”(Lawrence CH Hiun). Children of many different ages, of many different backgrounds, all brought here to the U.S. by their parents. They had no say so on whether to come here, all of them just following their parent’s guidance. For what? So they could drop out
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school because they aren’t allowed to? To work multiple under the table jobs to barley even get by? To live in fear of getting caught and deported to a land that is foreign to them because America has become their home? With about 11.7 million immigrants making up this country and that number growing every year, it is also estimated that about 8 million of theses immigrants hold good US jobs. But because they are illegal they are not going to be getting paid the same amount as a legal person would. Most of their money is dealt with under the table, so the company can profit with giving them lower income wages. In turn the US government loses money. So why not make all these illegal immigrants legal? How can we best help these people while resolving some of our own US issues? Introducing the DREAM act. Why not allow the children of these illegal immigrants to get an education higher than high school and become citizens? Why not allow these immigrants to have a dream?
I. Background of the Issue The DREAM act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow the immigrant youth who have already graduated from high school and been in America for a while to continue their education without fear. By passing the dream act there would be two major changes to the law. The first being that "The DREAM Act would allow certain immigrant student who have grown up in the US to apply for temporary legal status and to eventually obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if the go to college or serve in the U.S. military; and The Dream Act would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status. “(“Health Care & Public Benefits.") Basically allowing immigrant youth to continue their education in hopes of achieving the American dream. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act though you have to be within the ages of 12-35, came to the U.S. before the age of 15, and you would need to have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more and have a high school diploma, while also maintaining a clean criminal record. The DREAM Act gives the immigrant a 6-year time period where they would become a resident of the state while trying to achieve a higher education. If within this 6 year window the student earns a degree and shows that they have been good residents by paying taxes, working hard, and staying out of trouble, they then would be given a chance to apply to become a U.S. citizen. II. Connection to Politics and Government The DREAM Act connects to politics and government in two major ways. First would be that The DREAM Act would help the U.S. economy tremendously. How so you ask? Well there have been many study’s done by school such as UCLA and Arizona State where they have studied what would happen to the economy if The DREAM Act were to get passed. If passed it is said that it “would add $329 billion to the economy by 2030” ("The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act."). Which in turn "would reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period." ("The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities."). With the passing of The DREAM Act it is estimated that 1.4 million jobs would open up for employment opportunities. So with these new opportunities and once undocumented immigrants allowed to work legally our economy would blossom. Now all that money that the immigrants were making under the table is now being cycled into our economy with taxation. Also by giving these immigrants a permanent resident status, they would be more open to opening bank accounts, applying for credit cards, buying homes, and even trying to start up their own businesses. Colleges that would pass this law would also be beneficiary because now all these students that wouldn’t have been going to college are now paying it tuition in order to attend. All of this then becoming a big lump some of revenue for or economy in order to stop the crisis we are currently in. Second we have the Immigration Reform. With the passing of The DREAM Act the U.S. would already have a step in the right direction on trying to fix our problems with immigration right now. It will show all the conservatives how much these “immigrants” could truly contribute to this country. The Reform would help prevent any more immigrants to come in illegally by having stricter security on the boarders, while also allowing only the most decorated students from foreign countries to cross for schooling and work. Then by giving the immigrants that are already here the chance to become citizens would help tax revenues while improving the work place, by having better work conditions, and having that money be documented and cycled into our economy. CEOs of America should be loving this. More money, more jobs, less problems.
III. Interest groups / Political parties on either side of the issue, what are the argument pros and cons? The issue of The DREAM Act has thus far created something beautiful in our country. That being the unity of Americans legal, and illegal. Together these people have created several interest groups and non-profit organizations. Some of the more notable ones are American Immigration Law Aliance (AILA), help provide lawyers for immigrants throughout the U.S. Then we have American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who fights to protect the rights of those who have been denied their rights. Another major contributor is the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which is a group that supports the Hispanics of America. The Political parties appear to be on complete different sides of The Dream Act. Democrats seem to be giving The Dream Act more consideration and are willing to pass it. They believe that it could help the country out if passed. Some Pros they have presented, such as that it would benefit our economy by adding up 1.4 to 3.6 trillion in taxable income. The Dream Act would also benefit with getting more recruits to join our armed forces. Passing The Dream Act would also help lower drop out rates from high schools as well as allowing the students continue their education in college and therefore getting a better job thus accumulating more money for the economy. The Republicans on the other hand have had a firm stance about not passing The Dream Act they say "absolutely sends the wrong message. It says if you violate the law, it 's OK."- Assemblyman Curt Hagman (LATimes). They think that if passed The Dream Act would then only “set off “chain migration” in which immigrants granted citizenship bring over their relatives.” So that then their children could become citizens. They believe that the streets would then be filled with criminals because of all the immigrants coming to America. They also think that if passed unemployment rate would go up dramatically. Republicans think that the economy would be affected because all the money and cost that would have to be put into colleges to help the immigrant students.
IV. Update on the issue As of now The DREAM Act is still a big issue ever since it got proposed in 2001. It been made clear that Obama himself wants to help all these bright immigrant youth the succeed in this country, “Our nation is enriched by their talents and would benefit from the success of their efforts. The DREAM Act is important to our economic competitiveness, military readiness, and law enforcement efforts. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. There was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation.” (-Barack Obama) With Barack supporting as well as many interest groups of immigrants around the world showing great support its being made to Congress that this issue is very important. With the Democrats already on board it seemed like the only thing stopping The DREAM Act from passing was the Republicans. But as of 2014 Republicans are now taking a different approach on The DREAM Act, though still not viewing it as important, have decided to pass The DREAM Act since it has a lot of Hispanic support throughout the U.S. As of now it seems that there is nothing standing in the way of The DREAM Act. The future looks bright. Immigrant youth will now be given the chance to DREAM.
Advocacy
How can we bring a problem such as The Dream Act that has been lingering on for years to the forefront? Simple, you show the Corporation we call America how they could potentially profit from it. But how do we do that? Simple, look at todays generation filled with technology. If we could get this problem to become a social movement we can get really far really fast. We have to show the young people of America that they can help these immigrants do something and become something later in America. We have to get them to notice that these aren’t random people that its affecting but its their friends, family, neighbors and most important people not aliens. Once the social movement has begun millions of people through social networking would be aware of the situation. Once aware we can then go ahead and start protest or even sign petitions forcing Congress to pass The Dream Act. Starting up interest groups throughout the U.S. to have well-organized meetings and protest. All in all The DREAM Act has been through a lot since it was first presented. Though presenting America with a chance to grow with allowing the immigrant youth to keep studying in college, being able to work, while paying taxes. With both political parties being closed minded about it first it looked like a tough mountain to climb. But with the help of many interest groups and non profit organization pushing for The DREAM Act to become an important issue presented Congress, it seems like the passing of the act has never been any stronger. Therefore giving immigrant youth a chance to keep on DREAMing.
References
"IMMIGRATION REFORM NEWS & INFORMATION." DREAM Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
"Health Care & Public Benefits." DREAM Act: Summary. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
"Immigration Issues." Illegal Aliens Taking U.S. Jobs (2013). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
Guzmán, Juan Carlos, and Raul C. Jara. "The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act." Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
"The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities." Immigration Policy Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
"The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities." Immigration Policy Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
"AILA Home." "About Us." National Council of La Raza. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014. AILA. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Dwyer, Devin, and Matthew Jaffe. "Se Republicans Block DREAM Act for Illegal Immigrants." ABC News. ABC News Network, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Schulman, Kori. "President Obama on the DREAM Act: "My Administration Will Not Give Up"" The White International Business, Times. "Republicans Introduce Latest DREAM Act Alternative." International Business Times 27 Nov. 2012: Regional Business News. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. House. The White House, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
McGreevy, Patrick, and Anthony York. "Brown Signs California Dream Act." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 09 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
"Immigration Reform/Dream Act and Election 2012." : Pros and Cons of the DREAM Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Sergio Valencia
2/3/14
Poli Sci
Dare to DREAM Illegal aliens. Immigration in the US today has become a really big issue. With about 11.7 million immigrants making up this country and that number growing every year, it is also estimated that about 8 million of theses immigrants hold good US jobs. But because they are illegal they are not going to be getting paid the same amount as a legal person would. Most of their money is dealt with under the table, so the company can profit with giving them lower income wages. In turn the US government loses money. So why not make all these illegal immigrants legal? How can we best help these people while resolving some of our own US issues? Introducing the DREAM act. Why not allow the children of these illegal immigrants to get an education higher than high school and become citizens?
I. Background of the Issue The DREAM act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow the immigrant youth who have already graduated from high school and been in America for a while to continue their education without fear. By passing the dream act there would be two major changes to the law. The first being that "The DREAM Act would allow certain immigrant student who have grown up in the US to apply for temporary legal status and to eventually obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if the go to college or serve in the U.S. military; and The Dream Act would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status. “(“Health Care & Public Benefits.") Basically allowing immigrant youth to continue their education in hopes of achieving the American dream. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act though you have to be within the ages of 12-35, came to the U.S. before the age of 15, and you would need to have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more and have a high school diploma, while also maintaining a clean criminal record. The DREAM Act gives the immigrant a 6-year time period where they would become a resident of the state while trying to achieve a higher education. If within this 6 year window the student earns a degree and shows that they have been good residents by paying taxes, working hard, and staying out of trouble, they then would be given a chance to apply to become a U.S. citizen.
II. Connection to Politics and Government The DREAM Act connects to politics and government in two major ways. First would be that The DREAM Act would help the U.S. economy tremendously. How so you ask? Well there have been many study’s done by school such as UCLA and Arizona State where they have studied what would happen to the economy if The DREAM Act were to get passed. If passed it is said that it “would add $329 billion to the economy by 2030” ("The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act."). Which in turn "would reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period." ("The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities."). With the passing of The DREAM Act it is estimated that 1.4 million jobs would open up for employment opportunities. So with these new opportunities and once undocumented immigrants allowed to work legally our economy would blossom. Now all that money that the immigrants were making under the table is now being cycled into our economy with taxation. Also by giving these immigrants a permanent resident status, they would be more open to opening bank accounts, applying for credit cards, buying homes, and even trying to start up their own businesses. Colleges that would pass this law would also be beneficiary because now all these students that wouldn’t have been going to college are now paying it tuition in order to attend. All of this then becoming a big lump some of revenue for or economy in order to stop the crisis we are currently in. Second we have the Immigration Reform. With the passing of The DREAM Act the U.S. would already have a step in the right direction on trying to fix our problems with immigration right now. It will show all the conservatives how much these “immigrants” could truly contribute to this country. The Reform would help prevent any more immigrants to come in illegally by having stricter security on the boarders, while also allowing only the most decorated students from foreign countries to cross for schooling and work. Then by giving the immigrants that are already here the chance to become citizens would help tax revenues while improving the work place, by having better work conditions, and having that money be documented and cycled into our economy. More money, more jobs, less problems.
III. Interest groups / Political parties on either side of the issue, what are the argument pros and cons? The issue of The DREAM Act has thus far created something beautiful in our country.
That being the unity of Americans legal, and illegal. Together these people have created several interest groups and non-profit organizations. Some of the more notable ones are American Immigration Law Aliance (AILA), help provide lawyers for immigrants throughout the U.S. Then we have American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who fights to protect the rights of those who have been denied their rights. Another major contributor is the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which is a group that supports the Hispanics of America. As far as political parties and where they stand with this issues seem to be slightly similar but still very different. At first both parties seemed to be on edge on whether to pass the law or not. At first they were both saying they should not pass the law because it would be an amnesty. That all the illegal immigrants are a bunch of criminals and that we should not be allowing them to live in this country. The democrats however were a little more open to this issue. Causing them to quickly change their views on this issue by actually supporting the immigration youth and supporting them to go through school so they could ultimately become citizens. The Republicans however have been a little more conservative about this whole situation. They have had a firm stance saying they would not even look at the bill because there are bigger issues in this country. Republicans have stuck with the thought that immigrants should not be allowed in the country, because all they do it take jobs away from Americans as well as bring the economy because of the underground economy they live in. They feel as if giving the immigrants the right to become citizens would attract more immigrants into the country, in turn bringing more crime with them as
well.
IV. Update on the issue As of now The DREAM Act is still a big issue ever since it got proposed in 2001. It been made clear that Obama himself wants to help all these bright immigrant youth the succeed in this country, “Our nation is enriched by their talents and would benefit from the success of their efforts. The DREAM Act is important to our economic competitiveness, military readiness, and law enforcement efforts. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. There was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation.” (-Barack Obama) With Barack supporting as well as many interest groups of immigrants around the world showing great support its being made to Congress that this issue is very important. With the Democrats already on board it seemed like the only thing stopping The DREAM Act from passing was the Republicans. But as of 2014 Republicans are now taking a different approach on The DREAM Act, though still not viewing it as important, have decided to pass The DREAM Act since it has a lot of Hispanic support throughout the U.S. As of now it seems that there is nothing standing in the way of The DREAM Act. The future looks bright. Immigrant youth will now be given the chance to DREAM. All in all The DREAM Act has been through a lot since it was first presented. Though presenting America with a chance to grow with allowing the immigrant youth to keep studying in college, being able to work, while paying taxes. With both political parties being closed minded about it first it looked like a tough mountain to climb. But with the help of many interest groups and non profit organization pushing for The DREAM Act to become an important issue presented Congress, it seems like the passing of the act has never been any stronger. Therefore giving immigrant youth a chance to keep on DREAMing.
school because they aren’t allowed to? To work multiple under the table jobs to barley even get by? To live in fear of getting caught and deported to a land that is foreign to them because America has become their home? With about 11.7 million immigrants making up this country and that number growing every year, it is also estimated that about 8 million of theses immigrants hold good US jobs. But because they are illegal they are not going to be getting paid the same amount as a legal person would. Most of their money is dealt with under the table, so the company can profit with giving them lower income wages. In turn the US government loses money. So why not make all these illegal immigrants legal? How can we best help these people while resolving some of our own US issues? Introducing the DREAM act. Why not allow the children of these illegal immigrants to get an education higher than high school and become citizens? Why not allow these immigrants to have a dream?
I. Background of the Issue The DREAM act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow the immigrant youth who have already graduated from high school and been in America for a while to continue their education without fear. By passing the dream act there would be two major changes to the law. The first being that "The DREAM Act would allow certain immigrant student who have grown up in the US to apply for temporary legal status and to eventually obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if the go to college or serve in the U.S. military; and The Dream Act would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status. “(“Health Care & Public Benefits.") Basically allowing immigrant youth to continue their education in hopes of achieving the American dream. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act though you have to be within the ages of 12-35, came to the U.S. before the age of 15, and you would need to have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more and have a high school diploma, while also maintaining a clean criminal record. The DREAM Act gives the immigrant a 6-year time period where they would become a resident of the state while trying to achieve a higher education. If within this 6 year window the student earns a degree and shows that they have been good residents by paying taxes, working hard, and staying out of trouble, they then would be given a chance to apply to become a U.S. citizen. II. Connection to Politics and Government The DREAM Act connects to politics and government in two major ways. First would be that The DREAM Act would help the U.S. economy tremendously. How so you ask? Well there have been many study’s done by school such as UCLA and Arizona State where they have studied what would happen to the economy if The DREAM Act were to get passed. If passed it is said that it “would add $329 billion to the economy by 2030” ("The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act."). Which in turn "would reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period." ("The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities."). With the passing of The DREAM Act it is estimated that 1.4 million jobs would open up for employment opportunities. So with these new opportunities and once undocumented immigrants allowed to work legally our economy would blossom. Now all that money that the immigrants were making under the table is now being cycled into our economy with taxation. Also by giving these immigrants a permanent resident status, they would be more open to opening bank accounts, applying for credit cards, buying homes, and even trying to start up their own businesses. Colleges that would pass this law would also be beneficiary because now all these students that wouldn’t have been going to college are now paying it tuition in order to attend. All of this then becoming a big lump some of revenue for or economy in order to stop the crisis we are currently in. Second we have the Immigration Reform. With the passing of The DREAM Act the U.S. would already have a step in the right direction on trying to fix our problems with immigration right now. It will show all the conservatives how much these “immigrants” could truly contribute to this country. The Reform would help prevent any more immigrants to come in illegally by having stricter security on the boarders, while also allowing only the most decorated students from foreign countries to cross for schooling and work. Then by giving the immigrants that are already here the chance to become citizens would help tax revenues while improving the work place, by having better work conditions, and having that money be documented and cycled into our economy. CEOs of America should be loving this. More money, more jobs, less problems.
III. Interest groups / Political parties on either side of the issue, what are the argument pros and cons? The issue of The DREAM Act has thus far created something beautiful in our country. That being the unity of Americans legal, and illegal. Together these people have created several interest groups and non-profit organizations. Some of the more notable ones are American Immigration Law Aliance (AILA), help provide lawyers for immigrants throughout the U.S. Then we have American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who fights to protect the rights of those who have been denied their rights. Another major contributor is the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which is a group that supports the Hispanics of America. The Political parties appear to be on complete different sides of The Dream Act. Democrats seem to be giving The Dream Act more consideration and are willing to pass it. They believe that it could help the country out if passed. Some Pros they have presented, such as that it would benefit our economy by adding up 1.4 to 3.6 trillion in taxable income. The Dream Act would also benefit with getting more recruits to join our armed forces. Passing The Dream Act would also help lower drop out rates from high schools as well as allowing the students continue their education in college and therefore getting a better job thus accumulating more money for the economy. The Republicans on the other hand have had a firm stance about not passing The Dream Act they say "absolutely sends the wrong message. It says if you violate the law, it 's OK."- Assemblyman Curt Hagman (LATimes). They think that if passed The Dream Act would then only “set off “chain migration” in which immigrants granted citizenship bring over their relatives.” So that then their children could become citizens. They believe that the streets would then be filled with criminals because of all the immigrants coming to America. They also think that if passed unemployment rate would go up dramatically. Republicans think that the economy would be affected because all the money and cost that would have to be put into colleges to help the immigrant students.
IV. Update on the issue As of now The DREAM Act is still a big issue ever since it got proposed in 2001. It been made clear that Obama himself wants to help all these bright immigrant youth the succeed in this country, “Our nation is enriched by their talents and would benefit from the success of their efforts. The DREAM Act is important to our economic competitiveness, military readiness, and law enforcement efforts. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. There was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation.” (-Barack Obama) With Barack supporting as well as many interest groups of immigrants around the world showing great support its being made to Congress that this issue is very important. With the Democrats already on board it seemed like the only thing stopping The DREAM Act from passing was the Republicans. But as of 2014 Republicans are now taking a different approach on The DREAM Act, though still not viewing it as important, have decided to pass The DREAM Act since it has a lot of Hispanic support throughout the U.S. As of now it seems that there is nothing standing in the way of The DREAM Act. The future looks bright. Immigrant youth will now be given the chance to DREAM.
Advocacy
How can we bring a problem such as The Dream Act that has been lingering on for years to the forefront? Simple, you show the Corporation we call America how they could potentially profit from it. But how do we do that? Simple, look at todays generation filled with technology. If we could get this problem to become a social movement we can get really far really fast. We have to show the young people of America that they can help these immigrants do something and become something later in America. We have to get them to notice that these aren’t random people that its affecting but its their friends, family, neighbors and most important people not aliens. Once the social movement has begun millions of people through social networking would be aware of the situation. Once aware we can then go ahead and start protest or even sign petitions forcing Congress to pass The Dream Act. Starting up interest groups throughout the U.S. to have well-organized meetings and protest. All in all The DREAM Act has been through a lot since it was first presented. Though presenting America with a chance to grow with allowing the immigrant youth to keep studying in college, being able to work, while paying taxes. With both political parties being closed minded about it first it looked like a tough mountain to climb. But with the help of many interest groups and non profit organization pushing for The DREAM Act to become an important issue presented Congress, it seems like the passing of the act has never been any stronger. Therefore giving immigrant youth a chance to keep on DREAMing.
References
"IMMIGRATION REFORM NEWS & INFORMATION." DREAM Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
"Health Care & Public Benefits." DREAM Act: Summary. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
"Immigration Issues." Illegal Aliens Taking U.S. Jobs (2013). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
Guzmán, Juan Carlos, and Raul C. Jara. "The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act." Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
"The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities." Immigration Policy Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
"The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities." Immigration Policy Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
"AILA Home." "About Us." National Council of La Raza. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014. AILA. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Dwyer, Devin, and Matthew Jaffe. "Se Republicans Block DREAM Act for Illegal Immigrants." ABC News. ABC News Network, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Schulman, Kori. "President Obama on the DREAM Act: "My Administration Will Not Give Up"" The White International Business, Times. "Republicans Introduce Latest DREAM Act Alternative." International Business Times 27 Nov. 2012: Regional Business News. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. House. The White House, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
McGreevy, Patrick, and Anthony York. "Brown Signs California Dream Act." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 09 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
"Immigration Reform/Dream Act and Election 2012." : Pros and Cons of the DREAM Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Sergio Valencia
2/3/14
Poli Sci
Dare to DREAM Illegal aliens. Immigration in the US today has become a really big issue. With about 11.7 million immigrants making up this country and that number growing every year, it is also estimated that about 8 million of theses immigrants hold good US jobs. But because they are illegal they are not going to be getting paid the same amount as a legal person would. Most of their money is dealt with under the table, so the company can profit with giving them lower income wages. In turn the US government loses money. So why not make all these illegal immigrants legal? How can we best help these people while resolving some of our own US issues? Introducing the DREAM act. Why not allow the children of these illegal immigrants to get an education higher than high school and become citizens?
I. Background of the Issue The DREAM act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow the immigrant youth who have already graduated from high school and been in America for a while to continue their education without fear. By passing the dream act there would be two major changes to the law. The first being that "The DREAM Act would allow certain immigrant student who have grown up in the US to apply for temporary legal status and to eventually obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if the go to college or serve in the U.S. military; and The Dream Act would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status. “(“Health Care & Public Benefits.") Basically allowing immigrant youth to continue their education in hopes of achieving the American dream. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act though you have to be within the ages of 12-35, came to the U.S. before the age of 15, and you would need to have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more and have a high school diploma, while also maintaining a clean criminal record. The DREAM Act gives the immigrant a 6-year time period where they would become a resident of the state while trying to achieve a higher education. If within this 6 year window the student earns a degree and shows that they have been good residents by paying taxes, working hard, and staying out of trouble, they then would be given a chance to apply to become a U.S. citizen.
II. Connection to Politics and Government The DREAM Act connects to politics and government in two major ways. First would be that The DREAM Act would help the U.S. economy tremendously. How so you ask? Well there have been many study’s done by school such as UCLA and Arizona State where they have studied what would happen to the economy if The DREAM Act were to get passed. If passed it is said that it “would add $329 billion to the economy by 2030” ("The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act."). Which in turn "would reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period." ("The DREAM Act: Creating Economic Opportunities."). With the passing of The DREAM Act it is estimated that 1.4 million jobs would open up for employment opportunities. So with these new opportunities and once undocumented immigrants allowed to work legally our economy would blossom. Now all that money that the immigrants were making under the table is now being cycled into our economy with taxation. Also by giving these immigrants a permanent resident status, they would be more open to opening bank accounts, applying for credit cards, buying homes, and even trying to start up their own businesses. Colleges that would pass this law would also be beneficiary because now all these students that wouldn’t have been going to college are now paying it tuition in order to attend. All of this then becoming a big lump some of revenue for or economy in order to stop the crisis we are currently in. Second we have the Immigration Reform. With the passing of The DREAM Act the U.S. would already have a step in the right direction on trying to fix our problems with immigration right now. It will show all the conservatives how much these “immigrants” could truly contribute to this country. The Reform would help prevent any more immigrants to come in illegally by having stricter security on the boarders, while also allowing only the most decorated students from foreign countries to cross for schooling and work. Then by giving the immigrants that are already here the chance to become citizens would help tax revenues while improving the work place, by having better work conditions, and having that money be documented and cycled into our economy. More money, more jobs, less problems.
III. Interest groups / Political parties on either side of the issue, what are the argument pros and cons? The issue of The DREAM Act has thus far created something beautiful in our country.
That being the unity of Americans legal, and illegal. Together these people have created several interest groups and non-profit organizations. Some of the more notable ones are American Immigration Law Aliance (AILA), help provide lawyers for immigrants throughout the U.S. Then we have American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who fights to protect the rights of those who have been denied their rights. Another major contributor is the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which is a group that supports the Hispanics of America. As far as political parties and where they stand with this issues seem to be slightly similar but still very different. At first both parties seemed to be on edge on whether to pass the law or not. At first they were both saying they should not pass the law because it would be an amnesty. That all the illegal immigrants are a bunch of criminals and that we should not be allowing them to live in this country. The democrats however were a little more open to this issue. Causing them to quickly change their views on this issue by actually supporting the immigration youth and supporting them to go through school so they could ultimately become citizens. The Republicans however have been a little more conservative about this whole situation. They have had a firm stance saying they would not even look at the bill because there are bigger issues in this country. Republicans have stuck with the thought that immigrants should not be allowed in the country, because all they do it take jobs away from Americans as well as bring the economy because of the underground economy they live in. They feel as if giving the immigrants the right to become citizens would attract more immigrants into the country, in turn bringing more crime with them as
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IV. Update on the issue As of now The DREAM Act is still a big issue ever since it got proposed in 2001. It been made clear that Obama himself wants to help all these bright immigrant youth the succeed in this country, “Our nation is enriched by their talents and would benefit from the success of their efforts. The DREAM Act is important to our economic competitiveness, military readiness, and law enforcement efforts. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. There was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation.” (-Barack Obama) With Barack supporting as well as many interest groups of immigrants around the world showing great support its being made to Congress that this issue is very important. With the Democrats already on board it seemed like the only thing stopping The DREAM Act from passing was the Republicans. But as of 2014 Republicans are now taking a different approach on The DREAM Act, though still not viewing it as important, have decided to pass The DREAM Act since it has a lot of Hispanic support throughout the U.S. As of now it seems that there is nothing standing in the way of The DREAM Act. The future looks bright. Immigrant youth will now be given the chance to DREAM. All in all The DREAM Act has been through a lot since it was first presented. Though presenting America with a chance to grow with allowing the immigrant youth to keep studying in college, being able to work, while paying taxes. With both political parties being closed minded about it first it looked like a tough mountain to climb. But with the help of many interest groups and non profit organization pushing for The DREAM Act to become an important issue presented Congress, it seems like the passing of the act has never been any stronger. Therefore giving immigrant youth a chance to keep on DREAMing.