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The DREAM Act – A Brighter Future For Many Students

December 14, 2010

by Webmaster

The DREAM Act – A Brighter Future For Many Students

In the coming days, the U.S. Senate will debate the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, a bi-partisan piece of legislation that will make it possible for many young adults who are undocumented immigrants to start on the path to legalization.

The DREAM Act will provide a pathway to legal status for young people who are willing to work for a college degree or serve in our armed forces. For many of these young people, America is the only home they know, and English is their first language. They are young men and young women who are successful in school and committed to the kind of work ethic that has made America great. 

The DREAM Act will enable undocumented students to apply for federal student loans, which must be paid back, and federal work-study programs, in which they must work for any benefit they receive. The students would not be eligible for federal grants, such as Pell Grants. DREAM-eligible youths would also not be eligible for health care subsidies, including Medicaid, or other federal means-tested benefits like food stamps.

Eligibility requirements for legal status under the DREAM Act are strict and legal status must be earned through a lengthy process that takes many years. To legalize, individuals have to meet stringent eligibility criteria: they must have entered the United States before age 16; must have been here for five years or more; must not have committed any major crimes; must graduate from high school or the equivalent; and must complete at least two years of college or military service within six years of the bill’s enactment. In addition, they must be under 30 years old on the date of enactment and they must prove that they have possessed good moral character from the time they arrived in the United States. Eligible students must first obtain conditional residency and complete the requirements before they can obtain a green card—a process that takes years. 

These students have been raised and educated in our schools and local taxpayers have already invested in their education in elementary and secondary school. The DREAM Act will help America reap the benefits of those investments. Going to college will provide an opportunity for them to live up to their full potential and make a greater contribution to the U.S. economy and our society. 

The DREAM Act was written for exactly the kind of young people that America should be embracing: young soldiers, scholars, strivers and future leaders. In virtually all respects, except their undocumented status, they are Americans. Enacting this bill is the right thing to do for these talented young people and for the U.S. economy. We all benefit every time a young adult enhances their education and skills. 

And that's The Business Perspective.

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Thank you for sharing your views. I believe we need immigration reform and the DREAM Act is a good place to start. America's workforce is facing some critical challenges, including an estimated 60-70 million highly skilled and education baby boomers looking to retire within the next 5-10 years. It is evident that we need to focus on developing our youth and educating both citizens and non-citizen alike to meet America's future workforce needs.
Posted by: Robert Gutierrez @ 7:26:00 pm
This is exactly what the Chamber of our great city needs to support. Thank you Mr. Toebben as an Angelino and a Latino I stand with you.
Posted by: Matthew Hab @ 1:39:00 pm
Thank you for your thoughtful and informative piece, Mr. Toebben. Anyone who thinks this is amnesty is dead wrong and needs to read the bill more carefully. These are OUR children, educated and civic-minded. They represent a hopeful future for this country and as an American and Angelino, I applaud THIS business chamber for having the courage to take a position and stand up for these young people. It would be un-American to do anything else but embrace these students and service men/women in our armed forces. There is no reason to deny them the opportunity to give back to the country they hold so dear.
Posted by: VL Aramayo @ 1:29:00 pm
they are undocumented illegal aliens No rights under our constitution or the law Tell them to go home and come back legally ..M foster
Posted by: Webmaster @ 7:27:00 pm
Nothing dims the greatness of our America in advancing a more perfect union than when hurt and fear and misinformation paralyze us. There is not "their" children and "our" children--there are CHILDREN and an America that looks to the leadership of grown-ups to make a nation strong. Are we only to offer "disgrace", dismal future" and "grave concerns"? To disgrace, where is our compassion and commitment to justice? To dismal future, where is our faith and courage? To grave concerns, where is our hope and belief in America? Gary Toebben and the leadership of the LA Area Chamber of Commerce should be commended for bringing this issue to the business community. DREAM Act facts and studies are there for those who wish to hear and see. A common myth circulating is that in this time of economic crisis, the legislation if passed will cost America too much. The DREAM Act, as passed by the House, will not cost America if enacted; it will increase revenues and reduce deficits, in addition to creating an educated workforce and filling the ranks of our military. In a Dec 8, 2010 analysis of the DREAM Act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, together with the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that enacting the bill would increase U.S. revenues by $1.7 billion over ten years and reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period. Moreover, a study by the UCLA North America Integration and Development Center estimates that the total earnings of DREAM-ers during their lives will be between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion, money that will inevitably be spent in their communities. In stark contrast, Center for American Progress has estimated that it would cost American taxpayers some $25.5 billion over the next five years to deport the 1.1 million who are eligible under the DREAM Act. Having said all this, facts and data will not move disgrace, dismal future, grave concerns--only WE can as we strive for a more perfect union. Our support for the DREAM Act is a step towards that America.
Posted by: Webmaster @ 11:46:00 am
I personally have very mixed emotions about this "Dream Act". It seems like a soft version of Amnesty which I am firmly against but what do we do with the Children of Illegal Aliens that have no connect to their real homeland and have only done what they are told by going to school, staying out of trouble and having the desire to go to college or military service? There needs to be some penalty assigned to this group of people as well for example years of community service to make up for all of the US taxpayers money that they have already benefited from. There needs to be a price to pay for cheating the system.
Posted by: Michael Donovan @ 12:08:00 am
Thanks Gary for your opinion I however disagree on several fronts. One, there is no one version of the Dream act, in fact Harry Reid has submitted several versions for Senate review, who knows what is in the final version. Two, this is amnesty pure and simple and the governments lack of an immigration policy is no excuse to fast track another version of free pass for illegals. The cost of illegals on California's economy is huge and no one seems to want the problem but they do want the voters to keep them in office. That's what this is really about. Securing more voting blocks, not fixing the problem or the economy. My two cents..
Posted by: Mike O'Connor @ 6:36:00 pm
Who are you kidding? This is a disgrace. For the tax payers and for the millions of us whose immigrants families came to the United States LEGALLY. And don't even get me started on the drain in the classroom. Their children won't be left behind but ours already are.
Posted by: Webmaster @ 5:29:00 pm
....and a dismal future for tax payers. These laws mean nothing without the reforms to limit immigration. Thi is the leadership that is bankrupting California.
Posted by: David Goodreau @ 4:23:00 pm
I have grave concerns about the unintended consequences of the Dream Act. The benefit of education in this country is a very powerful motivator for parents to bring their illegal alien children to this country. The funding of loans for these young aliens to become educated in this country does create a temporary financial drain on our Treasury, and it gives parents wanting more than can be achieved in their home countries incentives to further add to our illegal alien population and all the costs associated with that.
Posted by: Robert L. Rodine @ 3:39:00 pm
You have my vote.... thank you for engaging the business community in support of this important legislation.
Posted by: Peggy Funkhouser @ 3:35:00 pm