Study questions how many would qualify for immigration 'Dream' act

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/1...tion-dream-act

Study questions how many would qualify for immigration 'Dream' act
By Puneet Kollipara - 07/08/10 03:43 PM ET

Less than half of the 2.1 million young people who entered the U.S. as illegal immigrants would qualify for citizenship under the “Dream Act,” according to a new study released Thursday.

The legislation drafted by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has been seen as a piecemeal approach to immigration that might find bipartisan support and move through Congress as prospects for a broader immigration bill disappear.


It would put illegal immigrants who came to the country at a young age on the path to legal permanent residence. Illegal immigrants between the ages of 12 and 35 would be eligible for the bill’s benefits.

Obama made a pitch for the legislation in a high-profile speech on immigration last week. Obama said “innocent young people” should not be punished for the actions of their parents, and should be able to stay in the U.S. and earn an education.

But only about 825,000 — or 38 percent — of those 2.1 million potential beneficiaries would be likely to meet other requirements set out by the Dream Act, according to a report released by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) on Thursday.

The report finds hundreds of thousands of young, illegal immigrants wouldn’t have enough education to qualify to start the program. Others won’t make it all the way through the program because they lack English proficiency, live in poverty or are already in the workforce.


“It really will be beyond means of many who are struggling and who are in poverty to go to school,” Jeanne Batalova, policy analyst at MPI and one of the report’s co-authors, said in a conference call with reporters.

Under the legislation, illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. before they turned 16 and who have spent at least five years in the country are eligible. They also must have at least a high school degree or the equivalent.

Those who meet these requirements would receive conditional legal status and start on the Dream Act’s pathway to permanent status. Participants would then have to complete two years of military service or college and maintain “good moral character” for six years to become eligible to seek residency and citizenship.

The new study estimates 726,000 undocumented adults would immediately meet the criteria for conditional status; 114,000 already have at least a two-year college degree and would just have to finish the six-year moral character requirement.

People in these categories would be the most likely to eventually earn citizenship if the bill became law.

But many others who would meet the age requirements would be unlikely to meet all of the other criteria, the study warned.

It notes the relatively high college-dropout rate among immigrants, especially among the immigrant-heavy Hispanic population.

The report’s findings were produced with population and demographic data from 2006-2008. The authors warned that the number of potential beneficiaries was difficult to estimate because unauthorized immigrants tend to be highly mobile and many may have left the country since the economic recession started.

One-fourth of all potential DREAM Act beneficiaries would come from California, while 12 percent would come from Texas and 9 percent from Florida.

Differences in educational services that the states offer their residents “could have an impact on the ability of potential beneficiaries to succeed in legalizing,” the report said.

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/...t-July2010.pdf

does have something wrong. they claim that those who are over 35 can benefit should they have a college degree. FALSE!

is it just me or is DREAM Act actually getting massive attention from the media this week!!

this is great!!! cmon congress!! july is the month!

^^

No, it is. They just need to pass it =)

i have never finished high school(nine grade only), but i got a GED, and i went to college for a semester for English, are my qualified for the DREAM? i m 25 years old right now. They need to pass it

i finish high school and i graduated with 3.8 gpa but i dont know i qualified for dream ? im 18 year old [/color][/b]

This makes me worried, i had to drop out of college this semester only because my parents weren't working...of course i was thinking this semester only, and i am going back for fall, but i don't know if me dropping out and then return would affect me :/

u guys are fine. just hope the age limit doesn't come down.

the report is wrong to say that those 35 and over get in if they have the college education. DREAM doesn't say that. if the person turns 35 the day DREAM becomes law, that person is out regardless if they never graduated or have a GED or have a phd.

I don't really see how someone who is 12 would benefit from it either, unless they were 7 when they came here. But then, why do they have to be less than 12?

LMFAO. You might want to consider heading back to college for some more English.


__________________________________



Overall, this study's findings is good news. The fact that the DREAM Act's requirements are so stringent may make it more palatable to those who oppose it.
This should be made a major argument when speaking about the legislation.

However, all our well-intentioned foot-soldiers who speak on behalf of us publicly emphasize the wrong points, such as that we are entitled to legalization just because we were slighted from birth by our parents. This is the wrong approach and only proves to make opponents more angry.

We must demonstrate to the public that most of the potential beneficiaries of the DREAM Act currently are making or have made good progress toward earning a tertiary education. This is how we distinguish ourselves from the broader undocumented group in this nation. This not only bolsters the DREAM Act's primary purpose as a means of promoting literacy and knowledge, but also illustrates that we are a small group with the ability to contribute to this nation rather than just leech its benefits.

As a last thought, I think it would be in our best interest if we prevent those among us with stereotypical immigrant appearances and accents from speaking publicly about the DREAM Act. To the average onlooker, listening to a plea from such a person appears no different than seeing a bandanna-wearing, Mexican flag-toting protester.