Thread: DREAM Act gives illegal immigrants unfair advantage over leg

DREAM Act gives illegal immigrants unfair advantage over legal students
By Logan DeHart

Staff Writer

Published: Monday, October 11, 2010

Updated: Monday, October 11, 2010 13:10



The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was voted down by the Senate on September 21. While many have chosen to support this act out of compassion for others, some see this as a vanguard to allowing the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants citizenship status for defying the natural system America has in place.

The DREAM Act was first proposed in 2001 and has been continually debated in both the House and the Senate year after year. This year the DREAM Act was attached to the National Defense Authorization Act by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), coincidentally the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was also attached. The bill was filibustered by Republicans and a single Democrat, and it failed to receive cloture by a narrow vote of 56-43.

The DREAM Act would allow illegal aliens of "good moral character" who, brought here before the age of 16, graduated high school and finished either two years of community college or military service, to establish permanent residency in America. While under the two years of military service or education, the alien receives conditional status that could allow them in-state tuition rates. After completing the requirements and obtaining permanent status, the no-longer-alien becomes eligible for rights to Pell Grants and federal aid in attending school.

Many proponents of the DREAM Act argue that the only reason it failed was because it was attached with the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; however, the DREAM Act actually received more media attention than this policy. With Arizona and other states introducing immigration reform, any steps to change our methodology are being met with hot criticism.

It is estimated that $22 billion dollars is spent on social welfare benefits to illegal immigrants, which does not include spending on medical care, legal benefits and education costs. FAIR estimates the cost of public-school education in all 50 states at $28 billion. California spends $3.2 billion educating illegal alien students and an additional $4.5 billion educating children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants.

Having known an illegal immigrant who attended public school, was of good moral character, I, nevertheless, feel that the DREAM Act gives illegal immigrants unfair advantages over hardworking, legal students. Tuition rates are rising with the demand of larger college enrollment than ever, and more and more college kids are being forced to take out loans to attend college. So should America authorize illegal aliens with a pathway to citizenship through our already defunct educational system? Imagine if you had to attend community college just to remain a citizen. That sounds like an incentive to me.

I sincerely doubt that there are competent illegal aliens in America that are unaware of their immigration status. America's immigration laws are clear. For the cases of aliens that were accepted into prestigious institutions and later detained, all I can say is that there was a proper way for someone not a citizen of America to gain a student visa.

To supporters of the DREAM Act, do not be discouraged, the bill has been added to the docket, for either the lame-duck session or the next Congressional session, as a standalone bill. To those who wish to keep the limited federal aid in the hands of America citizens, you must voice your opinion to your newly elected representatives.

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I have a friend, an Anglo woman who was born here and who has lived here all her life except for two years when she lived in Tennessee. After she moved back to El Paso she wanted to go to UTEP but waited for a year to re establish her residency in this county. She changed her driver's license as well. When she went to enroll at UTEP, she was told that she would have to pay OUT OF STATE tuition because she had lived in Tennessee for those two years although she had been back living in El Paso for over a year. She then went to NMSU to see about enrolling there and get this.....NMSU would charge her IN STATE tuition because of it's proximity to El Paso although she had never lived in New Mexico in her entire life. The more outrageous thing was that having lived in El Paso 99% of her life she could not get in state tuition at UTEP but all of the students from Juarez were and still are able pay in state tuition at UTEP. Our university president totally caters to Mexico. Under her reign, she has instituted many many programs that benefit Mexicans while Americans are not included.

^I have heard about NMSU doing that elpasoborn. I live in Albuquerque and a friend of mine went to NMSU and told me that a lot of her classmates were illegals down there.

DREAM Act is a huge slap in the face to legal immigrant youths. I have met several legal immigrant families who still struggle to send their kids to college.

Originally Posted by browneyes106

^I have heard about NMSU doing that elpasoborn. I live in Albuquerque and a friend of mine went to NMSU and told me that a lot of her classmates were illegals down there.

DREAM Act is a huge slap in the face to legal immigrant youths. I have met several legal immigrant families who still struggle to send their kids to college.

HE!! DREAM ACT is a slap in the face to every citizen as well!

We owe these brats nothing. We should start arresting and deporting these troublemakers whenever they protest........

Originally Posted by lakerman1

We owe these brats nothing. We should start arresting and deporting these troublemakers whenever they protest........

Ditto lakerman!

Here in central Arizona local media has published a story about an ASU student who got involved in some questionable behaviors in order to finance her college education. People are calling for her to lose her 4 year scholarship (which of course only pays a small portion of her annual tuition.) People are indignant and righteous and angry and ridiculous.

Apparently the reason this situation got published is multiple. imho she was blatantly taken advantage of and she is too young to realize how she has truly ruined her future - plus I think that this particular case is so egregious that some are trying to prosecute the "gentleman" who helps young women pay for their college. The article states that she has openly identified herself as a Christian - (or perhaps it was in the comment section that will no longer load for me.) However, girls doing porn, selling sex or working in a strip club is common in order to finance college, once again, as stated in the article that I cannot link to here. I believe it because I could only get through maximum 3 semesters at a time and then I would have to drop out again and work full time again. And yes, I had lots and lots of offers and I could never bring myself to do it and no I never did complete my degree. I'm not sure what the guys do but usually when they work they can get a higher wage anyways in order to make up the difference. Or maybe their families are able to give them more money under the table because Big Brother doesn't have total control yet. IDK.

All of our most serious competitor nations have free university for their citizens. This is the truth of US competitiveness in the world. Our own politicians businesses and government prey on us so much that our children are reduced to this type of activity to merely have a prayer of a job after college.

I have spoken to professional educators on this recent local news topic and they totally agree with me that this poor child's choices do not reflect negatively on her or the university but on the U.S. as a whole and how we choose our priorities and appropriate our resources.

So to give in-state tuition to illegals when this is what citizens have to go through to get educated for an entry level job is just driving another nail in the coffin or our current government and all their supporters. We can't take much more.