DREAM Act: A soon to be reality or keep dreaming

[jackfaire]

The DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act is a bill in the state of Oregon that would allow undocumented illegal aliens to pay in state tuition fees instead of out of state tuition fees. The focus is supposed to be minors.

I am wondering doesn't undocumented mean we would have to extend this to all illegal immigrants? You don't have any papers okay you pay in state tuition but the person who lives across the bridge in the next state over, close enough that they share all of the same television networks and half our workforce lives there, will still have to pay out of state tuition.

Honestly I am not sure what side I am on of this personally. I know that the children of illegal immigrants many of whom are here illegally themselves have not done anything wrong. You can't control what your parents do when your a small child and for many of the ones who were brought here at a younger age this is the only life they have known.

That does put those kids at a disadvantage in that they have to worry as much as their parents about deportation however in their case most often to a country they know nothing about. Much like if you or me were exiled to another country.

On the other hand some make the argument that we already spend tax dollars we should not spend on making life comfortable for illegal immigrants from Mexico. These people are concerned that to cover the difference between out of state and in state tuition if illegal immigrants are granted in state tuition the price of tuition will be raised penalizing those people that are here legally.

Thoughts?

[Plaidman]

My thoughts of it remain the same as always. Who freaking cares. Immigrants aren't here to take over. They're not being treated more special. They shouldn't need some sort of visa or card or test to prove they /deserve/ to live here. (Anyone ever looked at the immigrantion test? Half the stuff I didn't even know, and I've lived here my whole life!).

Immigrantion shouldn't exist anymore. In this huge world, we should be allowed to live wherever we want, at whatever country we want at any time we want.

[blas87]

Anyone who lives here illegally needs to make it legal or get the fuck out of here.

[Rageaholic]

I'm with plaidman, I don't get the outrage over illegal immigrants. It's not like they're all terrorists.

[AdminAssistant]

I assume the legislature will also be providing extra money to these universities to make up for the money that they'll lose.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm with plaidman, I don't get the outrage over illegal immigrants. It's not like they're all terrorists.

They're criminals. End of discussion.

I'm with blas. Sure, it totally sucks for the kids involved, but this country doesn't need to become that kind of nanny state, either.

There are at least 8 different people in my workplace that were born in other countries, some of whom didn't move to the US until they were adults. I can't speak for all of them, but I do know that when such discussions have come up before, ate least 3 of them get seriously pissed when they hear about other people getting shortcuts after they came over and did things the right way.

^-.-^

[radiocerk]

The DREAM act allows young people, brought into this country before they were 16, to get a green card (not a shortcut to citizenship) if they of high enough "moral character" (I assume that means a clean criminal record), and they attend two years of college or two years of military service. I really don't think it's giving them anything, they'd be earning it. Then, once they have their green card, they can pursue citizenship legally.

[tropicsgoddess]

My family and I are now US Citizens and we came to the US from South America in the late 1980s. I was 4 and my kid sis 1 1/2 going on 2 years old during that time (the youngest wasn't born until a year after we arrived). I oppose illegal immigration though I feel that the child(ren) of illegal immigrants should not have to suffer because of what their parents did. If I were in that boat those children were in I honestly don't know what I'd do since A. I haven't been back to South America since my family and I immigrated to the U.S. and B. I have no recollection of my birth country nor do I speak the language fluently..(I learned English at 4).

[crashhelmet]

California passed a law like this already and from what I understand, it'snot anyone that just shows up illegally that can get in-state tuition. They have to have graduated from a high school in California.

Going by that requirement, I'd have no problem with it. However, I would object to them getting any kind of Federal Aide if they were illegal.

[HYHYBT]

They're criminals. End of discussion.

I believe it's a civil offense, not a criminal one... at least, outside Arizona.

[Arcade Man D]

They're criminals. End of discussion.

I'm with blas. Sure, it totally sucks for the kids involved, but this country doesn't need to become that kind of nanny state, either.

Sorry, but I will never believe in punishing someone for a crime they didn't commit. And throwing out a student midway through their education because they were brought to this country illegally when they were too young to make their own decisions is definitely under that category. This is simply a way to help other victims of illegal immigration, the children involved, who get uprooted from what they know to a new life, and then get uprooted again when immigration catches up to the parents.

[FArchivist]

I am wondering doesn't undocumented mean we would have to extend this to all illegal immigrants? You don't have any papers okay you pay in state tuition but the person who lives across the bridge in the next state over, close enough that they share all of the same television networks and half our workforce lives there, will still have to pay out of state tuition.

I'm not seeing too much of a problem with this. Sure, they get in-state tuition rates, but how many are going to take advantage of it? If they're undocumented and illegal, they can't apply for federal financial aid. Since they can't get financial aid, they'll have to pay money out of pocket. That's some good revenue for the college right there - cash on the barrelhead. Especially with your parents' income and tax information having to be on the financial aid forms until you're 24, per Fed Dept of Ed.

I assume the legislature will also be providing extra money to these universities to make up for the money that they'll lose.

How would they lose money if the immigrants are forced to pay cash because they're illegal and not eligible for financial aid?

They're criminals. End of discussion.

Point of order: Being an illegal immigrant is not a crime, per se.

[AdminAssistant]

Well, they will lose money if an illegal immigrant who would otherwise be paying out-of-state tuition will now be allowed to pay in-state tuition. Of course, not many people can afford out-of-state tuition out of pocket, so.....hrm.

I'm not 100%, but I think with federal financial aid the school is getting money, they're just getting the money from the federal government and not the student. Same with a private scholarship.

Personally, all I really care about is that these students under the DREAM act have to meet the same academic standards as everyone else. Which, in a lot of cases, means passing high school with a C- average.

[blas87]

Um, moving and living here illegally IS a crime and should not be rewarded with freebies when true Americans can hardly keep food on the table and heat in the house.

It's not called illegal immigration because it sounds fancy. It's illegal. Period.

I would never expect to be able to just sneak into another country and get a job and live there consequence free if caught, or my only punishment to be sent back to America, just to keep trying.

What we need to put in the rivers by the border are tons of alligators and we need to build higher fences and arm border patrol and allow them to at least tear gas or rubber bullet trespassers. If you pulled a stunt like that in any other country, you'd be held in incarceration for a year or more, like the hikers overseas. Why is it not a big deal that a family of Mexicans go running across the border, but if you try to sneak into Canada, you'd be arrested on the spot?

[AdminAssistant]

Blas, the fences don't work. First of all, they're expensive. Second of all, it takes all of a couple of minutes to either climb over, dig under, or cut through. Third of all, a lot of the companies building the fences are using *gasp* illegal labor. What we need to do is punish the companies that hire (and even recruit) illegal labor. We need to make it easier to become a legal citizen. And, yes, I think we should offer amnesty to those already here, especially those brought over as children. As long as they aren't guilty of any other crime, then make 'em legal so they can start paying taxes.

But you know why it's not going to happen? Because the food processing companies of America don't want to pay people minimum wage to clean chickens and beef and pork. Because construction companies don't want to pay union wages. They want a large number of illegal workers so that they can continue to pay less than minimum wage for labor.

We need to fix the problems behind illegal immigration, not just throw up fences and call it good.