Immigration debate Essay

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), is a proposed bipartisan legislation that is meant to provide amnesty and relief for many young persons who came to the US unwillingly. Senator Orin Harten (R-UT) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-lL) pioneered this legislation. (Dreamact. info) Although a Republican is involved in pioneering this legislation, the majority of the party has strongly rejected the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a bill that â€Å"would provide certain illegal and deportable alien students who graduate from US high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U. S. illegally as minors, and have been in the country continuously and illegally for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning. † (Debatepedia. org). The conditions of the bill are that the persons must have entered the country before the age of 16 and one also must be between the ages of 12-35 to qualify. This Act is meant to provide a solution to around two million undocumented immigrants of the 11. 5 that are currently living in the US. Ill. The Debate: An Economic Opportunity Republicans have been reluctant to afford illegal aliens any type of relief regardless of the reasons they are here. As a New York Times editorial puts it, â€Å"Republican politicians have overwhelmingly embraced an approach to immigration reform that offers only misery, arrest and punishment to the undocumented†. NY Times, Editorial) This hard line approach only baffles many considering how crucial a role the immigration debate has been in the recent presidential election and has left the Republican Party out of favor with many of the Latino voters. Republicans have made it extremely difficult to pass the DREAM Act, a reform that can help aid a very big problem in the US. They have provided some good arguments against the DREAM Act, such as how it would entice parents to bring their children here ille gally. However, like in any debate, the bottom line is whether it is economically sound or not. After analyzing both sides of the debate, I have no reason to believe that it is not. The DREAM Act might actually be what our ailing economy needs. As a recent report by the Washington Post claimed that, â€Å"The Center for American Progress report, ased on data from the American Community Survey, says that passing the DREAM Act for the estimated eligible 2. 1 million youth would add $329 billion and 1. 4 million passing the DREAM Act will create a more competitive Job market, something that would lead to an increase in unemployment rate. Besides the fact that we are a capitalist society that is built off competition, it is also these same Republicans who are crying foul about competition that argue for a more free capitalistic economic system. We need to look at these illegal immigrants as assets to our country, rather han treat them as criminals. Those eligible for the DREAM Act can provide so much to the economy if they were granted the opportunity to do so. It isn’t like they are going anywhere and, they have adopted so many American values into their lives. By giving them the amnesty they need and arguable deserve, our economy can only benefit. The government can generate more tax revenue from them, thus ending the outcry that they don’t pay tax. Also by giving them the same rights as citizens in the job market, they will be paid what they deserve thus possibly stimulating consumer spending by them. ‘V. Conclusion: Democrats seem to be the party that is trying to solve the immigration issue here in the US. They have advocated hard for the passing of the DREAM Act, a legislation that I believe needs to and must be passed.