78 percent of readers say no to illegal immigrant students act

An Orange County Register online poll about the DREAM Act garners more than a thousand responses.

BY CINDY CARCAMO
The Orange County Register
Friday, June 19, 2009

Readers overwhelmingly oppose a bill that would provide students who are in the country illegally a pathway to residency among other rights that are now granted to resident students.

More than 75 percent of readers responding said no to the following question: "Do you think college students who are in the country illegally should be given a path to residency, protected from deportation and eligible for student loans and federal work study programs?, according to an Orange County Register poll.

Only 21 percent of 1,631 respondents said they supported the idea, which is part of the DREAM Act, or Development, Relief and Education for Minor Aliens.

About 1 percent said they didn't know how they felt about the measure.

The Act will likely not be introduced again as a stand-alone piece of legislation. Instead the proposed law will most likely become part of a comprehensive immigration reform package that could be introduced as early as fall of this year.

The proposed federal legislation – introduced by Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Richard Lugar of Indiana, and Reps. Howard Berman of California and Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida – has been around since 2000, but faced opposition and defeat in 2007.

For now, the bill is in the Senate Judiciary Committee without a scheduled hearing for Congress, according to Max Gleischman, Durbin's press secretary. Still, emboldened by what they believe is growing support in Washington, students and college leaders have held marches in Orange County – the most recent last month at Santiago Canyon College.

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez has said she supports the DREAM Act but most local Congress members have strong feelings about the proposed law, with most saying the measure would reward illegal behavior.

Generally, readers who commented about the measure voiced their representatives' concerns.

BigBinOC wrote: "Charity begins at home. We need to take care of our own first."

However, a minority felt differently.

mensarino wrote: "If you don't educate them they will still be here and could be a drain on our economy. Help them help themselves and in the process they help us as well."

Others readers said they would support only part of the DREAM Act.

oc4truth wrote: "I think that I would support part of this -- allowing them a path toward residency -- but not financial support to attend college."

Contact the writer: ccarcamo@ocregister.com or 949-553-2906

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/read ... llege-most