Thread: ALIPAC: San Gabriel pols push immigration reform for student

San Gabriel pols push immigration reform for students

By Rebecca Kimitch, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/14/2009 09:24:56 PM PDT
Whittier Daily News

EL MONTE - A group of local politicians is trying to breathe life into an 8-year- old proposal that would allow illegal immigrants who grew up in the United States to work toward citizenship.

The legislation, known as the DREAM Act, would create a path to citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants who came here before they were 16, have graduated high school in the United States or will attend college or join the military here.

"It's just not right to have somebody with that kind of promise, that kind of talent, and not give them the opportunity to be productive," Board of Equalization member Judy Chu said at a press conference in El Monte Friday while promoting the legislation.

Chu, the Democratic nominee for the 32nd Congressional district, her husband Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-El Monte, and others are pushing for Congress and President Barack Obama to put the DREAM Act on the front burner.

Chu and Eng reminded a crowd of mostly Asian journalists the legislation would benefit Asian Americans as well as Latinos.

If the DREAM Act became law, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students would be allowed to stay in the United States legally. In California, 25,000 such students annually graduate from high schools, according to estimates from supporters of the legislation. The law would allow them to get a Social Security number and live in the United States as they work toward citizenship, Eng said. And having aSocial Security number would allow them to apply for financial aid for university studies.

Those same people currently cannot receive financial aid for college. And if they do graduate, they cannot work here legally unless they get a work visa.

Opponents of the legislation say it rewards undocumented families that came here illegally, takes university space and funding away from legal residents and will lead to more immigration to the United States.

They also say it is the first step for those who want to allow far more immigration, according to William Gheen, president for the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC.

"I understand that the other side really wants to go for an an emotional appeal, that these students are here through no fault of their own," Gheen said. "But they are using those emotional appeals ... using children as political pawns to pass broader comprehensive immigration reform, which is opposed by a majority of American citizens."

Hundreds of them graduate annually from schools in the San Gabriel Valley, particularly Temple City, Arcadia, Pasadena and John Muir, according to Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

These students, unable to get financial aid and often the children of janitors, farm workers and street vendors, face great challenges if they wish to go to college, supporters of the bill said.

One Cal Poly Pomona student who was born in Mexico and came to the United States when he was 7 has been living in his car.

"I've made a choice, it's either pay for school and books or have a place to live. And places aren't cheap, so I have made the choice to keep going to school," he said.

The 26-year-old mechanical engineer, who did not want his name used for fear of deportation, said he works where he can, when he can. He often picks up jobs unloading fruit from trucks or laying countertop.

He is hopeful the DREAM Act will pass before he graduates or he will be able to obtain a work visa.

The Dream Act, first proposed in 2001, came closest to becoming law in 2006, when it was incorporated into the much-debated comprehensive immigration reform of that year, which was passed by the Senate but ultimately died.

Supporters are more hopeful the measure has a future this year, in part because it is not attached to more controversial comprehensive reform.

In addition to having the support of key House and Senate leaders on the appropriate congressional committees, President Barack Obama reportedly said on the radio show "Piol n por la Ma ana" he supports the DREAM Act 100 percent.

The Senate version of the bill also has two Republican co-sponsors who will be critical in getting to the 60 senators needed to move the legislation forward.

But health care has dominated Obama's agenda lately, and neither the House nor Senate committees that have jurisdiction on the legislation have scheduled votes on the act.

Still, Salas is confident.

"When we talk about the DREAM Act, I don't get the resistance from lawmakers as I do with comprehensive immigration reform," she said.

But Gheen sees a domino effect. If the DREAM Act passes, comprehensive immigration reform will follow and legalize 15 million undocumented people, he claims. If these people become citizens, that is 15 million new voters, he said.

"Then the United States as we know it will be destroyed. Billions of people will want to come here ... because you know these 15 million new voters will not be voting for border security and enforcement," he said.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_12591305

Opponents of the legislation say it rewards undocumented families that came here illegally, takes university space and funding away from legal residents and will lead to more immigration to the United States.

It will also lead to more ILLEGAL immigration because rewarding illegals will lead to more of the same (illegal immigration).

The 26-year-old mechanical engineer, who did not want his name used for fear of deportation, said he works where he can, when he can. He often picks up jobs unloading fruit from trucks or laying countertop.

Not that it's relative to the discussion but mechanical engineering is a tough curriculum. How does a person pursuing a tough course of study in the engineering field find the time to unload enough fruit trucks and lay enough countertop to pay for food, incidentals, gas, books, and tuition? Is Cal Poly Pomona that inexpensive?

Not only that MW, if they were truely serious about helping these young adults, they would cut off the chain migration that goes along with it...

Same with AG workers if they were serious they would give them work permits to work only in the AG business and no path to citizenship and no family members for us to support unless the owner is going to pay for his workers, (School, Medical etc.) they would also have to say all children born here unless there parents are citizens, will be a citizens of the parents home country, as it should be.

One thing he is probably doing is washing up in the gym I also would not be suprised if he is actually couch surfing. BTW They could use mechanical engineers in Mexico.

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