A DREAM immigrant proposal? A fighting chance for citizenship

By EUNICE MOSCOSO @ emoscoso@ajc.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.ajc.com
Published on: 09/24/07

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/st ... _0924.html
Washington — The Senate will likely vote on a controversial measure this week that would give illegal immigrant students a path to citizenship if they go to college or serve in the military.

Proponents say it could help replenish the armed forces, stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The children affected, they say, were brought to the United States illegally as small children through no fault of their own and should be given a chance to stay.

Critics decry the measure as an amnesty for lawbreakers and a slap in the face to American families struggling to send their children to college.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), author of the measure, said that it would give the Pentagon a pool of ideal candidates for military service at a time when the government is struggling to find soldiers and offering up to $20,000 bonuses to enlist.

"All recruits would be well-qualified high school graduates with good moral character,'' Durbin said.

The legislation, known as the DREAM Act or "Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act" would allow illegal immigrant high school graduates to eventually attain permanent legal status if they complete two years of college or serve honorably in the military for at least two years.

The future of the measure is unclear, as several Republican lawmakers — including Georgia U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson — are planning to oppose it, along with groups that support stronger immigration controls.

"The DREAM Act establishes a pathway for illegal aliens to go directly from illegal status to conditional permanent resident status, then to legal permanent resident status, and then the next step, of course, is citizenship," Chambliss said in a statement.

"Conservative estimates indicate 1.3 million illegal aliens will be able to take advantage of this opportunity, and then, of course, bring their families into the U.S," he said. "There are real and difficult consequences when people break the laws of the United States. Congress heard the American people loud and clear earlier this year on the issue of immigration reform, and the Senate worked its will on this issue already."

Isakson said the measure "would reward those who have obtained an education in a system in which they have not contributed."

"I cannot support legislation that will pay for the education of an illegal immigrant when there are thousands of United States citizens who are in need of similar educational funds," he said.

Numbers USA, a group that supports lower levels of immigration, is keeping a list on its Web site of senators who have pledged to vote against the DREAM Act and is urging supporters to call others who are undecided. Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswomen for the group, said Friday that its members have sent more than 260,000 faxes to senators, hoping to bring down the legislation.

"We see it as being an amnesty," she said. "If you reward that illegal behavior, you will encourage more of it."

A similar effort by various groups helped derail a White-House-backed immigration overhaul earlier this year that included the DREAM Act provisions.

In an effort to convince more senators to support the DREAM Act, Durbin narrowed the measure — adding an age limit of 30 for eligibility and dropping a mandate that the immigrants receive in-state tuition rates.

Even if the DREAM Act passes the Senate, it would still face a difficult path in the House, where many lawmakers have drawn a hard line against illegal immigration. In a sign of what to expect, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), a vocal critic of illegal immigration who is running for president, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), asking him to "put an end to efforts in the Senate ... that would reward illegal aliens with amnesty or allow them increased access to publicly funded benefits."

At a news conference last week, several students who arrived illegally in the United States as children and have excelled in school said they were being denied access to their dreams of becoming physicians, lawyers and scientists because they can't qualify for financial help.

"I foresee myself as a doctor helping thousands of families, but without education, without being able to go to medical school, I can't. Therefore, my dreams will die," said Rodrigo, who said he crossed the border illegally with his mother when he was 6 years old and later graduated from a San Jose high school as class valedictorian with a 4.0 grade point average.

The students, who only gave their first names, were dressed as doctors and lawyers, representing what they hoped to become.

The DREAM Act would apply to illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years before the measure's enactment, have graduated from high school or obtained a GED, and have no criminal record.

The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute estimated that the DREAM Act would result in 279,000 newly eligible people for college enrollment or the military. In addition, 715,000 illegal immigrants between the ages of 5 and 17 would become eligible in the future, according to the research group. It is unclear how much those numbers would change with the new age limit.

Margaret Stock, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and a professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said that the legislation would help the Pentagon in several ways.

A large number of illegal immigrant students are Hispanic, a group with a high propensity to choose military service, she said, and therefore, many would likely pursue the military option.

In addition, those who enroll in college are likely to join ROTC programs, she said.

Stock said the young immigrants would come fully vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, saving the Pentagon the time and money of conducting criminal background checks.

"These are people who grew up in the United States, they're socialized as Americans. We've paid for their education for the most part. ... And at the point when they're about to become productive members of our society, we're going to deport them. This makes no sense," Stock said.


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