Editorial: Pass the Dream Act

Editorial: Pass the Dream Act
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
September 20, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-dream-20100920,0,6614623.story


They're members of what sociologists call "the 1.5 generation" — children brought to the U.S. at a young age, raised as Americans with little connection to the country where they were born. They speak English, attend school, join the Girl Scouts and Little League. And they're here illegally.

In recent months, they've been standing publicly to reveal their names and immigration status, risking arrest and deportation to push for a federal law that would help them gain legal status by attending college or serving in the military. They've staged sit-ins in the office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a one-time champion whose support for their cause has faded, in the halls of Congress and in rallies across the country, including in Chicago. Now the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act — Dream Act for short — could be up for a vote in the U.S. Senate this week. It's a good deal for them, and for the country.

Every year, 65,000 youngsters who are here illegally graduate from high school to an uncertain future. They don't qualify for most scholarships, student loans or resident tuition rates; they also can't work here legally. Those who can afford tuition hesitate to apply for fear of being deported. With no ties to any other country, most end up staying and working underground. U.S. taxpayers, meanwhile, are deprived of the talent and legal labor of hundreds of thousands of young men and women they paid to school.

The Dream Act would give those youngsters six years of conditional legal residency in which to attend college or enlist in the armed forces. They would be eligible for federal loans and work study programs, but not for government education grants. After two years of college or military service, they could get a green card, which allows them to live and work here legally and apply for citizenship.

Only high school graduates (or GED holders) who qualify for college or military service would be eligible.

The Dream Act, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin, is supported by business, religious and educational groups that recognize it as a net plus for the country. It would help young people get significantly better jobs, which translates into greater earning power, more tax revenue, more consumer spending — and less public money spent on health and social services. The U.S. Defense Department is eager to tap this pool of top-quality recruits.

So what's the holdup? The harshest immigration hawks have labeled the Dream Act "youth amnesty." They don't want to make concessions to parents who brought their children here illegally. For others, it's a more calculated political move. Some feel the Dream Act should be part of a comprehensive immigration overhaul because its broader bipartisan support could offset more controversial parts of the bill, such as a path to citizenship for longtime illegal workers. Others believe it should be a stand-alone bill, not freighted with so many unpopular measures.

Senate President Harry Reid, D- Nevada, now wants to attach it to the defense authorization bill, which includes critical spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and pay increases for U.S. troops. With midterm elections looming, Democrats — especially Reid — could use a boost from grateful Latino voters. The Dream Act could be just the ticket.

But things are getting complicated. The House version of the defense spending bill includes $485 million — a mere down payment — to develop a fighter jet engine the Pentagon says it doesn't need or want. Supporters are trying to add it to the Senate version, too. Both bills also include a repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that keeps gays from serving openly in the U.S. military.

President Barack Obama supports both the don't ask, don't tell repeal and the Dream Act — as do we — but he's promised to veto the bill if it includes funding for the wasteful engine project. And he should.

Reid can't count on the Dream Act to carry him on Election Day. But there are better reasons to pass it. Congress should find a way to do it, and soon.