DREAM Gains Momentum-AZ REPUBLIC
I woke this morning to find the state newspaper Arizona Republic having the DREAM Act on the front page. This is great because it is teaching people of AZ who don't know about the DREAM Act find more about it. I was surprised when I saw this on the AZ paper. 
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl....html#comments
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WASHINGTON - An estimated 114,000 young illegal immigrants living in Arizona could benefit from legislation that would allow them to become legal U.S. residents if they attend college or join the military, a report released Thursday says. Arizona ranks fifth among the Top 16 states where potential beneficiaries of the DREAM Act live, according to the report by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. It follows California, Texas, Florida and New York. Nationwide, an estimated 2.1 million young immigrants could benefit from the bill, which is being increasingly touted as the only immigration-related bill that has a chance to win enough bipartisan support to pass this year. However, barriers such as limited English proficiency, poverty and family obligations would keep many of those young people from fulfilling the proposed law's requirements for becoming a legal resident. As a result, only about 38 percent of potential beneficiaries - an estimated 825,000 people nationwide - would likely obtain permanent legal status, the report says. The report's authors based their estimates on the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Still, the legislation could have a profound impact on children who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents but who want to become legal residents and contribute to the nation where they grew up, the report's authors said. "The investments they would be required to make in their education or military service on the path to permanent legal status would ensure that they are well integrated into U.S. society and bring important skills and training to the U.S. workforce," said Margie McHugh, co-director of the institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy. To meet the DREAM Act's requirements, an immigrant must have entered the U.S. before age 16, been continuously present in the U.S. for at least five years before the law's enactment, obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent, and be younger than 35 years old. If those requirements are met, immigrants would be allowed to stay in the U.S. on a conditional basis for six years. At the end of that periodDxhmmigrants could apply for lawful permanent residence if they obtain a degree from a college or university, complete at least two years in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher, or honorably serve at least two years in the U.S. military. With prospects for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's immigration system looking increasingly dim in Congress, lawmakers have begun to consider the possibility of bringing the DREAM Act to a vote this year. Unlike comprehensive reform, the DREAM Act has bipartisan support and is not as controversial as proposals that would provide a path to citizenship for all 11 million estimated illegal immigrants in the U.S. President Barack Obama singled the bill out for praise in a speech last week on the need for immigration reform. Supporters of the bill have provided poignant stories of smart, hard-working teenagers admitted to prestigious colleges, only to find out that they cannot attend because they were brought to this country illegally as children by their parents. "Attention is being refocused from comprehensive immigration reform to piecemeal legislation that may have an easier way to passage," said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the institute's office at New York University Law School. "One of the strongest candidates for that approach is the DREAM Act." There are three possibilities being discussed by lawmakers, Chisti said. One is to offer the bill as standalone legislation before the November congressional elections. The second option is to bring it up after the election, during a lame-duck session when lawmakers may be less afraid to vote for a pro-immigrant bill. The third option is to attach it to a big spending bill, which would make it more difficult for opponents to defeat. Jazmin Mosqueda, spokeswoman for the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition, said she believes that the institute's report will help supporters of the bill make their case to Congress when they come to Washington, D.C., this month for a rally in front of the White House. "This research and these exact numbers will help us push for the DREAM Act by showing how many people it will help," said Mosqueda, a student at Arizona State University. "We're really hopeful that there will be action this year." Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...#ixzz0tEjaORS7 |
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^^^Duh, people need to keep those phones ringing!
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