Bad idea for immigration

LaTimes.com
Print Edition : Opinion
September 23, 2007

Re "A uniquely American DREAM," Opinion, Sept. 19

The DREAM Act is anything but "a small act of immigration reform." For every illegal immigrant student admitted into a state university system, another U.S. citizen or legal student will be rejected. Illegal immigrant students seeking in-state tuition at public universities aren't responsible for violating our laws, having been brought into this country illegally by their parents. But it's also true that U.S. citizens and legal residents who'll be rejected when illegal aliens are added to the queue are being punished for the actions of illegal immigrant parents.

The DREAM Act allows illegal immigrant students to receive in-state tuition rates at public universities, discriminating against out-of-state U.S. citizens. The cogent argument for the DREAM Act is that it applies to teenagers who are here illegally because their parents broke the law and they are being unfairly punished for the crimes of their mothers and fathers. Fair enough. Digging a little deeper, it would also effectively allow illegal teens to eventually petition for legal residency for their parents. [b]Start the meter running and we're into the mega-millions.]/b]

Michael Scott
Glendora

It's disgusting to see what lengths the open border lobbyists, such as Douglas McGray, go to confuse people. They exploit people's feelings of compassion by dressing up another backdoor amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants with tear-jerking labels such as the DREAM Act, and by presenting the case of an individual youngster who is being denied the American dream. Never mind that the legislation is chock-full of loopholes and open to fraud.

Its ultimate effect is that immigrants can use their newly acquired green card or citizen status to seek passage for the parents who brought them in and then put in motion the chain migration cycle.

Mario Troiani
Duarte

The DREAM Act would repeal a 1996 federal law that prohibits any state from offering discounted tuition for illegal immigrants unless it provided the same discounted tuition to all U.S. citizens. The DREAM Act would permit illegal immigrant students to eventually seek green cards for their illegal immigrant parents, which could add millions of illegal aliens to the population. It is proposed by the same people who want to import poverty to the United States, which would eventually require increased taxes to support a burgeoning population of foreign nationals.

It's ironic to hear about our healthcare crisis from lawmakers who are adding to the problem by increasing the population of low-income earners who lack health insurance.

Clyde Feldman
Sherman Oaks

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