Failed a procedural vote which required a 60-vote supermajority for passage: 10.24.07
The Legislation:
The DREAM Act allows undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children under the age of 16, who have been living in the U.S. continuously for five years and who have been law-abiding and generally of “good moral character,” to apply to the Department of Homeland Security for conditional legal status. If they attend college or serve honorably in the U.S. military for at least two years, these young people would become eligible for legal permanent residency and ultimately citizenship. An estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year and would be potentially eligible for an adjustment of status under the Act.
The Middle-Class Position:
The Middle Class Supports: The DREAM Act would enable students who immigrated to the U.S. as children to further their education, get better jobs, and, as a result, pay more in taxes, contributing more to the economic prosperity necessary to sustain a strong middle class. Fulfilling their potential, they may be the nation’s future innovators and entrepreneurs and will make up part of the educated workforce needed to help the U.S. compete in the global economy. The students who would be impacted by the legislation grew up in this country, attended U.S. schools, speak English, and consider themselves Americans – many cannot remember living anywhere else. An unsatisfactory alternative to the DREAM Act is that these talented young people might never achieve their potential, but will instead be marginalized by their lack of legal status in the country they grew up in, and will continue to live in the shadows, working low-paid jobs off the books and contributing far less to the U.S. and its national prosperity than they might have. America does not benefit when young people eager to offer their skills and talents are punished for the decisions made by their parents.
From the Experts:
“PTA believes that all children should have access to education and that every student should be afforded every opportunity to graduate from high school and pursue postsecondary education, including vocational education… [The Dream Act] opens the door to a better, brighter future for the children of immigrant families who want to go on to school, better their lives, and become contributing members of society. PTA further believes that an educated, successful populace benefits the United States as a whole.” -The National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) (March 6, 2007)
“The DREAM Act would give these young people an opportunity to meet their potential and to fully contribute to our society… the United States is the only country and home many of them know… Should we forsake these young people because we lack the political will and courage to provide them a just remedy? By investing in these young people, our nation will receive the benefits for years to come. It is also the right and moral thing to do." -Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Florida, on behalf of the U.S. Episcopal Conference (September 20, 2007)
"They follow the rules, they work hard in school, and unfortunately, they are undocumented, so their options are greatly limited, and they can be deported at any time. We are not a country that punishes children for the mistakes of their parents."–Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah (October 24, 2007)
Beyond this Bill:
While providing a path to citizenship to immigrants who entered the country illegally as children is both fair and beneficial to the middle class, it does not fully address the interest that middle-class Americans have in seeing all undocumented workers brought out of the underground economy that threatens to undermine American wages and working conditions and into the mainstream. Ultimately, immigration reform that addresses the status of all undocumented immigrants would benefit the American middle class most.
Estimated percentage of undocumented high school graduates who currently attend college: 10
Difference between the amount of taxes paid annually by the typical 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman with a college degree and amount paid by a similar high school drop-out: $5,300
Difference in the amount of expense this college-educated woman will cost the government compared to her high school drop-out counterpart: -$3,900
Number of young people between the ages of 5 and 17 who would have an incentive to complete high school and pursue college or military service as a result of this legislation: 715,000
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