DREAM Act Pros

1. Many illegal immigrants get the chance to stay in US without a strict path to
citizenship.
2. Additional tax revenues will be generated from both employees and employers as
employment opportunities and jobs become open.
3. Immigrants will be able to rely on the justice system of America in terms of
protecting wronged individuals and holding illegal immigrants accountable. They will
now fear of becoming parts of the system because of possible deportation.
4. This values strong family ties. It is inhumane to break families that have already
built their lives in America.
5. The DREAM Act might be an advantage to the economy of US because
immigrants can now fill and take jobs that many Americans do not want to have.
Security resources focusing on illegal immigrants can now be redirected to finding
and tracking terrorists.
6. This act brings freedom and a pathway towards self sufficiency that is not really
available to millions of individuals who are not luckily born in the US.
7. DREAM Act helps economy and according to a recent study, students who are
impacted by the act can add trillions in taxable income to the economy.
8. This act offers amazing return of money and can help the country prepare and
invest for global economy.
DREAM Act Cons
1. DREAM act somehow gives immigrants the power to break the law.
2. This act seems to be unfair for individuals who have complied with the rules and
requirements in their desire for citizenship.
3. Countless immigrants will be flooding in before the law takes effect.
4. This act will add millions of individuals who will utilize government resources like
health care, education and social security while paying low taxes or no taxes at all.
The government deficits that are beyond control can further lead to bankruptcy.
5. The DREAM Act further erodes American culture and English language in the US.
6. This would probably take away jobs from American citizens and will drive down
salaries or wages of jobs that are left behind.
7. This legislation is viewed to create invasion of voters supporting lawmakers and
president who gave them the citizenship at the expense of remaining citizens.
8. The implementation of this act might lead to overcrowding or overpopulation in
American cities.

9. Drug dealers, terrorists and foreign enemies might exploit any amnesty policy or
open border set in place.
The DREAM Act pros and cons will continuously be talked upon as the curiosity and
enthusiasm of many people rise.
Economic Prosperity and National Security Through the DREAM Act
Cross-posted from The Hill
Even in tough times, Americans have used their freedom, common sense and
respect for one another to do the right thing for the nation. Today, we face one of
those times. There are thousands of hard-working, patriotic, young people who are
leaders in their communities and who are looking for an opportunity to attend
college or serve our country in the military, but they cannot, through no fault of
their own. Congress has the opportunity to offer them and our country a brighter
future by coming together in a bipartisan way to pass the DREAM Act.
The DREAM Act will open the doors of higher education and military service to
young people who were brought to America without documentation by their parents
when they were children. If they are able to meet several requirements, they will
have the chance to earn a legal status. Specifically, they will have to prove that
they came to the United States before the age of 16, have lived here for at least five
years, dont have a criminal record, are not removable or inadmissible from the
country, are of good moral character and graduated from a U.S. high school,
obtained a GED, or have been admitted to an institution of higher education. Today,
these students are living in fear of the next step of their lives, and attending college
or other postsecondary education is difficult, while serving our country in the
military is near impossible.
Passing the DREAM Act will unleash the full potential of young people who live out
values that all Americans cherish a strong work ethic; service to others; and a
deep loyalty to our country. It will also strengthen our military, bolster our global
economic competitiveness and increase our educational standing in the world.
By opening the American Dream of college for these bright, talented youth, we will
unleash an academic force into the U.S. higher-education system. The result will be
a new generation of college graduates who will help strengthen our economic
security. This new generation will be a new set of future taxpayers who will
contribute much more as college graduates than they ever would as struggling
workers moving from one under-the-table job to another. They will help build the
economy of the 21st century.
From a national security perspective, the DREAM Act will give the military the
opportunity to recruit students who are eager to serve at a time when theres a
growing shortage of potential soldiers. The Defense Departments strategic plan
names the passage of the DREAM Act as one of its goals to help maintain a missionready all-volunteer force. Military leaders understand that at this critical time in our
history, when we face countless threats to our way of life and the supply of soldiers
does not match the demands being placed on our armed forces, a new pool of

highly qualified candidates willing to put their lives on the line for America is a
major plus for the country.
The students who will benefit from the DREAM Act are some of our countrys best
and brightest. They were raised and educated in America. They include community
leaders and volunteers who are committed to service in their neighborhoods. They
are valedictorians and star athletes. They text and go to the mall. They are
Americans in every sense of the word. They have deep roots here and are loyal to
the country that has been the only home theyve ever known. They want to serve
our country and hope to become pediatricians, teachers and engineers. They are
exactly the type of young people America should be embracing.
But, unlike their classmates, DREAM Act students are in a bind. It goes against the
basic American sense of fairness to punish children for the choices of their parents.
But thousands of young people find themselves in that position. We cant let them
continue to live unfulfilled lives of fear and squandered hopes. We must rise above
the heated political rhetoric and embrace this common-sense approach. And we
need to do it now before we lose this generation. Its who we are as Americans, at
our best.
Secretary Arne Duncan
The DREAM Act has become a rallying cry for President Obama, members of his
administration, and liberal Democrats everywhere. President Obama has vowed to
keep fighting for the DREAM Act, which would grant amnesty to millions of illegal
immigrants.

Its true when listeners or those polled dont know the facts that the DREAM Act has
some appeal. After all, we are all naturally sympathetic when children are involved.

But the descriptions of the DREAM Act voiced by President Obama and his cohorts
are not accurate. And the consequences are never told.

DREAM Act supporters claim that only children would benefit from such a bill, but
the facts tell another story. Under most DREAM Act proposals, amnesty would be
given to individuals up to the age of 30not exactly children. And some other
proposals dont even have an age limit.

These supporters also maintain that illegal immigrants cant go college without the
DREAM Act. But the truth is that illegal immigrants can already go to college in most
states.

And ultimately, most versions of the DREAM Act actually dont even force illegal
immigrants to comply with all the requirements in the bill, such as going to college
or joining the military. The administration can waive requirements because of
hardship at its complete discretion.

DREAM Act proposals are also a magnet for fraud. Many illegal immigrants will
fraudulently claim they came here as children or that they are under 30. And the
federal government has no way to check whether their claims are true or not.

Such massive fraud occurred after the 1986 amnesty for illegal immigrants who
claimed they were agricultural workers. Studies found two-thirds of all applications
for the 1986 amnesty were fraudulent.

And this amnesty did nothing to stop illegal immigration. In 1986, there were about
three million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. Today, there are an estimated 11
million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and about seven million of them work here,
unfairly taking jobs from unemployed Americans.

While DREAM Act supporters claim that it would only benefit children, they skip over
the fact that it actually rewards the very illegal immigrant parents who knowingly
violated our laws. Once their children become U.S. citizens, they can petition for
their illegal immigrant parents and adult siblings to be legalized, who will then bring
in others in an endless chain.

This kind of chain migration only encourages more illegal immigration, as parents
will bring their children to the U.S. in hopes of receiving citizenship.

President Obama tried to get the DREAM Act passed during a lame duck session
about a year ago but it faced bipartisan opposition in Congress. This hasnt stopped
the administration from passing its agenda. The Obama administration does
everything it can to let illegal immigrants stay here, which compounds the problem.

Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security recently issued new

deportation guidelines that amount to backdoor amnesty and strike another blow at
millions of unemployed U.S. workers.

Under the administrations new deportation policy, DHS officials review all incoming
and most pending cases before an immigration court to determine if the illegal
immigrant can remain in the U.S. Since the administration has made clear that
many illegal immigrants are not considered priorities for removal, including
potential DREAM Act beneficiaries, this could open the door to allow millions of
illegal immigrants to live and work in the U.S. without a vote of Congress.

The Obama administration has also cut worksite enforcement efforts by 70%,
allowing illegal immigrants to continue working in jobs that rightfully belong to
citizens and legal workers. And the list goes on and on this administration has a
pattern of ignoring the laws and intent of Congress.

The United States is based on the rule of law but the Obama administration already
has dirty hands by abusing administrative authority to grant amnesty to illegal
immigrants. The DREAM Act doesnt stop illegal immigrationit only encourages
more of it by rewarding lawbreakers.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee

Pros & Cons of The DREAM Act
Posted In: Government Policies. Bookmark and Share

The DREAM Act is undeniably one of the most controversial bills ever introduced to
the United States Congress. The name is an acronym for Development, Relief and
Education for Alien Minors and it basically gives young, undocumented immigrants
in the U.S. to become legal citizens if they had been living in the country since they
were 15 years old or younger, had graduated from an American high school, and
had finished at least two years of college or had served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

History of the DREAM Act

It was already rejected a couple of years ago but has been reintroduced in 2009 by
the Democrats with full support from President Barack Obama. This bill is expected
to be a main deciding factor on the outcome of 2012s elections especially among
the American Latino population, which makes up majority of the immigrant vote in
the country.

Where do you stand?

Although many Americans have by now decided on where they stand on the issue of
immigration, there are still those who are on the fence and are still confused on
whether to support the DREAM Act or not. If you are one of these undecided
individuals, the following list of pros and cons of the bill may help you make up your
mind.

Lets look at the pros

The DREAM Act is obviously in favor of its direct beneficiaries, which are the
undocumented, youth immigrants in America. For most of these young individuals,
America is the only home they know as most have been brought to the country by
their parents when they were still babies. They know absolutely nothing about their
country of origin and so deporting them there is deemed by proponents of the bill as
downright cruel.

It helps the economy

Aside from these youth, there are also studies that demonstrate how legalizing
immigrants can actually help and not harm the U.S. economy, as what detractors
are insisting. These studies indicate that majority of the immigrants are actually
taking jobs that native Americans dont want in the first place, so the battle for jobs
would not be all that significant as people fear. Of course, these studies are not at
all conclusive and only represent a small facet of the complicated issue of
immigration.

How about the cons?

The arguments presented by opponents of the Act are equally strong, if not even
more so. It is said that if the DREAM Act is passed, the government would
essentially be awarding rights and privileges to individuals who didnt work for those
privileges, and thus are not deserving.

More will come

It may also encourage further influx of illegal immigrants, seeing that it would be so
easy to secure a stable future in the country just like that. There is also a
widespread concern that a good portion of the taxpayers money, most of which
come from law-abiding American citizens, will just be spent on helping these socalled illegal aliens.

Its a controversial issue

Its not difficult at all to see why the DREAM Act is so controversial, considering the
very strong views on either side. But hopefully, with a better understanding of the
pros and cons of this bill, you can now make a better decision on where you stand
on this issue.

Pros and Cons of the DREAM Act

There are many debates surrounding the Dream Act issue and here are the two
of the more popularly held views:

CONS:
1.
High enough unemployment rate will raise even more: The Dream Act will be
funded on the backs of hard working, law-abiding Americans -- CBO failed to assess
costs for education, increased levels of unemployment due to the addition of
workers to the workforce, and increases in potential applicants because of
loopholes.
2.
It will overwhelm our street with criminals: The Dream Act provides safe harbor
for any alien, including criminals, from being removed or deported if they simply
submit an application - burden of proving inaccurate information on a Dream Act
application is on the Department of Homeland Security. Certain inadmissible aliens,
including those from high-risk regions, will be eligible for amnesty under the Dream
Act.
3.
Conservative estimates suggest that at least 1.3 million illegal aliens will be
eligible for the Dream Act amnesty. In reality, we have no idea how many illegal
aliens will apply.
4.
It won't make us more educated: The Dream Act does not require that an
illegal alien finish any type of degree (vocational, two-year, or bachelors degree) as

a condition of amnesty - the applicant only has to complete the equivalent of two
years of college.
5.
It will harm our economy: Current illegal aliens will get federal student loans,
federal work study programs, and other forms of Federal Financial Aid. Who will pay
for all those benefits?

PROS:
1.
It Will Help Our Economy: According to a recent UCLA study, students that
would be impacted by the Dream Act could add between $1.4 to $3.6 trillion in
taxable income to our economy over the course of careers, depending on how many
ultimately gain legal status. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget
Office, the Dream Act in its current form will cut the deficit by $1.4 billion and
increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next 10 years.
2.
The Dream Act supports our troops: Secretary of Defense Gates has written to
Dream Act sponsors citing the rich precedent of non-citizens serving in the U.S.
military and stating that the Dream Act represents an opportunity to expand [the
recruiting] pool, to the advantage of military recruiting and readiness".
3.
The Dream Act is a great return on money we have already invested and will
prepare the country for the global economy: Todays global economy requires an
educated and skilled workforce capable of acquiring, creating, and distributing
knowledge. Passage of the Dream Act will mean a group of talented, multilingual
and multicultural workers will help America compete with innovators throughout the
world.
4.
Passage of the Dream Act will reduce high school dropout rates and enable
more students to attend college: Foreign-born students represent a significant and
growing percentage of the current student population. Unfortunately, immigration
status and the associated barriers to higher education contribute to a higher-thanaverage high dropout rate, which costs taxpayers and the economy billions of
dollars each year. The Dream Act would eliminate these barriers for many students,
and the Dream Acts high school graduation requirement would provide a powerful
incentive for students who might otherwise drop out to stay in school and graduate.

Pro & Con: Should Congress pass the DREAM Act for immigrant children?
Updated: 8:52 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22, 2010 | Filed in: Opinion

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YES: The legislation gives incentives for learning and rewards hard work.

By Jerry Gonzalez

Seventy-four thousand. Thats the number of undocumented youth in Georgia who

could potentially benefit from the passage of the DREAM Act, according to a recent
report issued by the Migration Policy Institute.

These children were brought to this country by their parents at very young ages,
and through no fault of their own are undocumented.

We as taxpayers have invested in their k-12 education, and they deserve a chance
to go to college or serve in our military. These 74,000 kids are 3 percent of the 2.1
million nationally who could potentially be impacted by the DREAM Act.

They deserve an opportunity to contribute to the country they have known as their
home for most of their lives.

The bipartisan DREAM Act would provide undocumented students the opportunity to
become legal residents if they graduate from high school and complete two years of
college or military service.

Its a no-brainer. The DREAM Act is a tremendous investment, a great way to further
integrate students who are already an integral part of our society and economy, and
a great incentive for these young people to pursue higher education or military
service.

The viability of the DREAM Act is even included in the U.S. Department of Defense
Strategic Plan for 2010-12 as a way to increase potential military recruits.

Despite the fact that comprehensive immigration reform is truly the answer to our
broken immigration system, the DREAM Act would be a good start.

Unfortunately, during the most recent Joint Legislative Committee on Immigration

Reform public hearing, our state legislators who have the power to influence the
passage of this critical legislation continued to deliberately overlook the facts and
entertain the reckless rhetoric at the expense of innocent students.

In fact, Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, has pre-filed a proposal that would ban access to
higher education to all undocumented students in our state, making Georgia only
the second state with such a restrictive policy for access to higher education.

In fact, most states have passed legislation that encourages youth in these
situations to attend higher education by allowing in-state tuition. These states are in
full compliance with federal laws.

In Georgia, the Board of Regents has reserved a ban of access to the top five
universities and colleges due to space limitations, but allows access to all other
institutions for higher education.

These students when enrolled in Georgia, under current state law, would be
required to pay out-of-state tuition, which creates a profit for the colleges they
attend. Their enrollment is not subsidized at all by taxpayers, according to the
analysis done by the Board of Regents.

Education is a great equalizer. Despite the belief of Georgia Sen. Bill Heath, RBremen, these young people are not wasted space at our institutions of higher
learning. They are truly an asset for our state.

Denying access to education to anyone who is qualified and willing to be educated

is morally reprehensible.

These youth are the promise and the future of our great state and nation, and they
should be afforded every opportunity to fulfill their human potential to contribute to
society.

The time for political posturing has passed. Its time to lead and time to stand up for
our shared values of an education and rewarding hard work.

We would hope that our congressional delegation would move quickly and support
the DREAM Act with great urgency during this lame-duck session. No one should
dash the dreams of so many young people.

Jerry Gonzalez is executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected

Officials (GALEO).

NO: The acts loopholes will entice people to enter the United States illegally.

By Phil Kent

The usual propaganda is again being rolled out urging Congress to pass the DREAM
Act that would grant amnesty to Kennesaw State Universitys Jessica Colotl and
countless other illegal alien students who arrived as children with their parents
when they snuck across our border.

Unfortunately, as sympathetic as we might be for such young people with

compelling human interest stories, the DREAM Act is so full of loopholes that
passage would result in a nightmare for our nation.

Perhaps if the DREAM Act drew the lines more narrowly as to who could stay
especially if it really covered just children who have grown up culturally and
psychologically as Americans over the past 15 years or so, it might garner more
support. But this legislation contains major flaws.

Anyone who claims to meet the criteria for the amnesty under the act must be
granted legal status unless the government spends the time and money to prove
that they dont. This means every state would be stuck with hundreds of thousands
of illegals who would receive a get out of jail free card, and who will be counting
on the fact that the government doesnt have the resources to check whether the
flood of applications are legitimate or fraudulent.

Numbers USA researcher Jeremy Beck underscores the important national security
impact:

The DREAM Act would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from
deporting aliens whove applied for the amnesty until their applications are resolved
and if DHS eventually decides that some aliens do not qualify for the amnesty,
DHS cannot use the statements aliens made in their applications to deport them,
because their statements are protected by the confidentiality section in the act.
Savvy criminals could halt or slow their deportations long enough to be released
back into the general population.

Furthermore, if the DREAM ACT is passed, millions of its beneficiaries would then be
able to eventually sponsor parents and other relatives to legally come here
including those adults who originally broke the law and put the young DREAM Act
recipient in their current tight spot. Each of these family members could then
sponsor their extended family.

So why would Congress, especially as the country faces years of high national
unemployment, want to expand the number of newcomers who would further strain
everything ranging from our schools to our health care system?

The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 2.1 million people would be eligible for
the DREAM Act legalization. But that estimate obviously does not take into account
this Third World chain migration trigger buried in the legislation.

The open borders lobby loves the DREAM Act because it does nothing to prevent
parents from anywhere in the world from bringing their children here illegally. The
law would enable the children get a kindergarten through 12th grade education,
welfare and other services all at taxpayer expense and it then simply puts them
in the same untenable position as Jessica Colotl is now.

The DREAM Act would be the eighth legislative amnesty for millions of illegal aliens
since 1986, and all too many of those recipients havent bothered to learn English
proficiently or assimilate into the overall culture.

As columnist George Will notes, weve imported poverty by amnestying millions

who earn less than $10,000 a year and who have less than an eighth-grade
education.

Why should Congress grant yet another mass amnesty that will only serve as a
magnet for more illegal immigrants to come here?
ast year, President Obama and Democrats in Congress introduced the DREAM Act.
The controversial bill sought to offer a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of
thousands of young illegal immigrants by giving green cards to undocumented
residents who had come to the U.S. at the age of fifteen or younger, graduated from
an American high school, and completed either two years at an institution of higher
learning or time in the armed forces. The DREAM Act was filibustered to death in the
Senate by Republicans who referred to it as amnesty for criminals. Now, the
DREAM Act has been reintroduced in the U.S. House and Senate and the debate has
resurfaced once again. Here are both sides of the argument.

Opponents of the DREAM Act fear that giving amnesty to these immigrants who
have broken immigration law will only encourage more illegal immigrants to come
into the U.S., knowing that their children will have a pathway to legal residence.
Essentially, in opponents eyes, it offers an incentive to break the law. Furthermore,
critics of the bill feel that, when it comes down to applying for college and/or
receiving aid for school, then it creates a level playing field for both U.S. citizens
and illegal immigrantsand thats just not fair. Basically, illegal immigrants will
have an equal shot at precious state and federal resources as legal residents if the
DREAM Act is passed and this is particularly offensive considering the economic
situation the U.S. finds itself in, facing budget cuts in education and social service
programs.

Advocates of the DREAM Act wonder what else should be done with these young
immigrants. They have no connection to their home countries, many of them having
been brought to the United States at very young ages, even in infancy. They might
not even speak the language of their parents country. Deporting them would be
borderline cruel. Advocates feel that these young immigrants have as much to offer
to the future of America and American society as a citizen or legal resident does.
Given equal opportunities, they might be tomorrows entrepreneurs, scientists,
politicians, teachers, soldiers, etc. Furthermore, beneficiaries of the DREAM Act were
not active participants in the choice to break American immigration law and its not
fair to condemn them to a lifetime of low-paying underground, black market labor
for the transgressions of their parents. President Obama summed it up in his recent
immigration speech in El Paso, Texas, saying, These are kids who grew up in this
country, love this country, and know no other place as home. The idea that we
would punish them is cruel and it makes no sense."

Opponents of the DREAM Act have advocated STAPLE as a viable replacement.

STAPLE stands for Stop Trained in America PhDs From Leaving the Economy and

would allow foreign nationals who received a PhD from an American university in
the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and medicine) to stay in the
country and be exempt from green card and work visa quotas. This would help
stimulate the U.S. economy with foreign ideas and resources but only to those who
have proven their worth, so to speak.