A conservative alternative to the DREAM Act

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-bl...gration-reform

The Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform coalition is continuing to strive for conservative solutions aimed at fixing our fundamentally broken immigration system. As our 2012 legislative session gets underway, we are calling on our government to rise above the difficult politics of immigration and to work toward these much needed solutions. One such solution that we believe does have bipartisan support, and that could pass in 2012, would be a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act that also includes border security.

As conservatives, we acknowledge, and in fact celebrate, that the United States is a nation of laws. However, we also acknowledge that the United States is, and always has been, a nation of compassion. In fact, I would argue that the Unites States is arguably the most compassionate nation in the history of the world. I would also argue that while we embrace compassion with an open heart, we do, and must always, embrace our compassion with open eyes as well.

Therefore, we do have compassion for the children of immigrants who were brought here, through no fault of their own, illegally. For those children that in all other aspects played by the rules, excelled academically and have stayed on the straight and narrow, we do feel that they are a special case, and are most worthy of our compassion. After all, we embrace the tenet of Compassionate Conservatism. We believe that conservatism is a good thing -- a valuable thing. In our country, it is also a good thing -- some would say a prerequisite thing, and certainly a moral thing -- to allow our compassion to go hand in hand with our conservatism.

The Democratic version of the DREAM Act has been floating around the halls of Congress for over a decade, and has enjoyed a measure of bipartisan support. However, it has never enjoyed enough support to pass. We think that is because, at the end of the day, it provides a back-door amnesty to the undocumented parents of the undocumented children. Our coalition does not support amnesty, and as long as the undocumented children could someday file a petition to legalize their undocumented parents, we are divided on the DREAM Act. However, a conservative alternative would solve that problem. A conservative DREAM Act would not provide for any path to citizenship, or even legal permanent residency status. It would allow these children to stay in this country as non-immigrants or guest workers. This offers a very relevant distinction; it provides no mechanism for the children to petition anyone, including their parents, to come to or stay in the United States. Therefore, there would be no amnesty for the parents, and no future “chain migration.”

Furthermore, if there is one thing that conservatives and progressives could, or should agree on, is that we need to once and for all secure our borders. We feel that a 2012 alternative DREAM Act would provide an opportunity to address border security in a real and fundamental way. We feel that as an amendment to this conservative alternative to the DREAM Act, there should be a serious bill that further and dramatically does secure our borders. We would support such a plan.

I would add one caveat: the undocumented children that would otherwise qualify for this alternative DREAM Act that choose to serve for 4 years in the military should be given an opportunity to become citizens. Right now, these undocumented children are ineligible to serve in the military. This alternative DREAM Act would allow these young men and women to serve our country, and if they do, they should be eligible to become American citizens.

However, this alternative DREAM Act would significantly tighten up some of the other aspects of the Democratic DREAM Act, such as criminal records. We want young men and women who respect the law to be able to qualify as candidates for this bill. It would also lower the age to qualify for this bill from the current 35 years old, thus dramatically reducing the potential pool of candidates.

This conservative alternative DREAM Act would serve our country well. It would solve two very pressing issues: what we should do with the high-achieving, undocumented children in this country, and what we should do about border security.

Finally, to those on the left that would argue that anything less than citizenship is a non-starter, I say that is simply not true. In fact, just a few months ago, I spoke in Tucson, Arizona to a large audience of primarily Hispanic Evangelicals at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s Immigration Summit. At that event, I suggested the plan as described above. During the Q&A session at the end of the program, we took a vote, and only 10 out of approximately 900 attendees had a problem with this “non-citizenship” plan. In other words, 99 percent of the immigrants at that church event were tired of excuses. They just want a law that will solve this problem, and a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act, including border security, will solve two very pressing problems – and will have strong support among conservatives, as well as Hispanics. Our nation is crying for common sense solutions. This alternative plan is a common sense solution to the DREAM Act and to border security – and it can pass in 2012.

Fair enough,

Sounds good to me.

Sounds Fair! Let's Pass it!

I do not even want to be citizen of this country, I just want to go to school and work damn it!

this is what always kills me; the republicans have made it near impossible for our parents/family members to ever get citizenship even if most of use ever become citizens under the dream act. If the Dream act, either the Dem or GOP versions pass, we would still have to wait about 10 years to get full residency and then another 2 years for citizenship...so 12 years until any one of us is eligible to sponsor a parent. Then we add the 10 year ban on top of that plus the actual wait time for the visa to be processed then it's a 20 year wait...and yet that's considered backdoor amnesty??? how is technically following the "legit" process considered amnesty? That's been the main opposition to the DREAM Act, it's the only reason why it hasn't passed and it's honestly the biggest load of sh*t. Either way, I've always advocated for a military-only option for at least some of us to try and get legalized...afterall, if you want papers then this would be the easiest way to get them plus show our patriotism. I know i'm going to get flak for that last part but whatevs.

Do you guys think senator Durbin knows that the possibility for compromise exists if he uses this version of the dream act? Is there any way of letting him know it would be smart to use this version?

......

That's the part that kills me about the whole "chain migration" argument. By the time some of us would even be able to file for our parents, they'll have already gotten their citizenship if we have USC siblings/relatives. And many of us have parents that are already citizens.

This is where the heartless and brainless image of the conservatives appears. I thought the problem here is ILLEGAL immigration? If there is a path to legalize our parents by any means, wouldn't that solve the problem? If they only legalize a few of us, then they are only doing the job halfway because the ones that are left would still be in illegals living in the shadows....let's face it, we all know they WILL NOT self-deport....so it wouldn't matter how well they secure the border.

Logically, I think this kind of proposal is the sure fire way to create the so-called "future immigration problem" they fear so much.