Reasons to Support the dream act (S. 729/H. R. 1751) Provided by America’s Voice

July 16, 2010

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  The DREAM Act is bipartisan legislation that enables high-achieving young people – immigrants who have been raised here, have worked hard in school, and then pursue higher education or serve in the military – to achieve the American Dream.
  

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  Specifically, the bill gives eligible young people who were brought to the U.S. as children the opportunity to resolve their immigration status and work towards citizenship. To move from being undocumented to being a U.S. citizen, those eligible will have to pass background checks and be of good moral character, graduate from high school, and go on to complete additional requirements related to attending college or completing military service.
  

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  It is estimated that approximately 800,000 young people will benefit from the DREAM Act.
  

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  A national poll of 1,008 adults, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for First Focus in June 2010, shows that support cuts across regional and party lines with 70 percent overall support, 60% support from Republicans and 80% support from Democrats.
  

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  University presidents and educational associations, as well as military recruiters, business and religious leaders have called on Congress to pass the DREAM Act.
  

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  The students who would benefit under the DREAM Act have been raised and educated in the U.S.  State and local taxpayers have already invested in the education of these children in elementary and secondary school. America deserves a return on their investment.
  

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  Today’s global economy requires an educated and skilled workforce capable of acquiring, creating, and distributing knowledge. Passage of the DREAM Act will mean a group of talented, multi-lingual and multi-cultural workers will help America compete with innovators throughout the world.  
  

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  The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) “estimates that many of the occupations that will be most in demand in years to come will rely on highly educated workers. Of the 15 occupations projected to grow at least twice as fast as the national average (13 percent), 10 require an associate degree or higher.” For this reason “it is imperative to develop policies …to help these talented students gain access to postsecondary educational opportunities and the workforce as legal residents.”ⁱ
  

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  Leading businesses such as Microsoft have endorsed the DREAM Act because they recognize that our broken immigration system is draining our economy of the talent and resources needed to compete in the global economy.
  

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  Foreign-born students represent a significant and growing percentage of the current student population. Unfortunately, immigration status and the associated barriers to higher education contribute to a higher-than-average high dropout rate, which costs taxpayers and the economy billions of dollars each year. The DREAM Act would eliminate these barriers for many students, and the DREAM Act’s high school graduation requirement would provide a powerful incentive for students who might otherwise drop out to stay in school and graduate.
  

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  There is a strong tradition of military service in immigrant families, but the lack of immigration status prevents many of those who wish to serve from enlisting. According to Margaret Stock, Lieutenant Colonel, Military Police Corps, US Army Reserve and Associate Professor of Law, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY – The DREAM Act “would allow military recruiters to enlist this highly qualified cohort of young people, and enactment of the DREAM Act would be a “win-win” scenario for the Department of Defense and the United States. Deporting these young people … deprives the United States of a valuable human asset that can be put to work in the Global War on Terrorism.”ⁱⁱ
  

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  Enabling 800,000 immigrant students access to higher education would go a long way in inspiring other immigrant youth to strive for a college education. This will help boost the number of high skilled American-raised workers. As they take their place in the workplace as hard working, taxpaying Americans, they will contribute a lifetime of revenues at the local, state and federal level.