The American DREAM
By Amit Singh | Sunday, November 28th, 2010 | PolicyOne of the many bills being debated in the upcoming lame duck session is the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (aka DREAM) Act which allows for undocumented (aka illegal) children to receive a path to citizenship (aka amnesty) who sign up for two years of college or military service. On the surface it’s not an entirely bad idea but would need some major tweaking before I would go along with it. Here would be my conditions:
1) Instead of 2 years it should be 4 years of college or military service. If the college route is taken then a degree in a technical field (i.e. engineering or science) must be pursued.
2) Signing up is not enough, completion is necessary. For the college route, a degree at an accredited university must be achieved even if it takes more than 4 years. For the military route, service must be completed without any dishonorable discharge.
3) After satisfying #1 and #2, the person will receive a H1-B visa and must find employment for at least 1 year.
4) After satisfying #3, as long as there is no criminal record and no credit card debt of $5K+ for 90+ days, then the person will receive a green card.
I’m sure some will say the conditions are too harsh while others will say they are too lenient. Given some of my family’s and friend’s experiences, I would say it’s just about right.
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14 Responses to "The American DREAM"
Amit,
I kind of like your proposals. But how about expanding the areas of study into the health field? You do know we face a shortage of nurses and doctors right? That should be on everyone’s radar on solving the health care problem. Increase the supply so that it meets demand and the price will go down.
I agree with most of your stuff but I think if they join the military they should be given full citizenship after 4 years. If they are willing to die that is enough for me! I don’t know if I want them to become professional students though, I would modify it to 2 years for a trade and 5 years for a university degree, eligible for a wavier if they are in a highly technical field (advanced engineering, bio sciences, medical etc…)
josh
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bearing Drift, Sophia R. Matheson. Sophia R. Matheson said: The American DREAM : Bearing Drift: Virginia Politics On Demand: 4) After satisfying #3, as long as there is no … http://bit.ly/hxHFFJ [...]
Illegal immigrants are not allowed to enlist in the military. Why would we want to change that?
As for college, how many illegal aliens can afford non-resident tuition and fees with no financial assistance? If not, then why should we give financial assistance to illegals when there are citizens and legal residents who need it and didn’t break the law to get here?
This is a bullshit liberal scheme to create a new generation of Democratic voters. You want to come to this country and become an American? Get in line and meet the entry requirements first, like my great-grandparents did.
@LittleDavid, I would consider health professionals in the sciences so they would qualify.
@HisRoc, yes this is a liberal scheme but perhaps one of the less potent ones. sure we can tell those not here to get in line, but the estimated 11 million has to be dealt with in more creative ways. at a minimum, getting the engineers, nurses, doctors, etc a path to citizenship is a good thing in my opinion. no matter what dealing with this problem is not going to be fair to some people and that is a sad fact.
HR: I think the point is that enlisting would change their status from illegal to legal alien. I don’t really have a problem with that, or with granting citizenship to anyone who serves a 4 year term in the military. That proves their devotion to the country to me. That’s what we want in immigrants, people who want to be Americans.
As far as the college route, that makes no sense to me. Where’s the sacrifice for your country there? Going to college is something that’s a positive for you personally, economically.
I also agree with your point that we don’t want to be giving financial assistance to illegals when there are citizens who need that aid and can’t get it.
Amit,
You are exposing yourself as being too reasonable and perhaps to claims that you are a RINO. The Tea Party says there is no room in the Republican Party for compromisers like you.
Steve,
The problem with opening military enlistment to illegals is that we would then be routinely accepting into the military people who have committed a crime, something that constitutes a fraudulent enlistment today.
And, who is to say that there would be that many illegals otherwise eligible anyway? They would have to speak English, meet the physical requirements, and have the documented educational background as well as passing the entrance test.
Sorry, but the armed forces are not a mechanism for social rehabilitation. When illegals attempt to join the military now, they are told to go home, re-enter the country legally, and then come back and apply. I see no reason to change that.
Amit – I think you have a good proposal here. I like Josh’s idea of accelerating the process for those who serve in the military for four years (and gain an honorable discharge) but would change it to immediate green card. From there they can work toward citizenship.
@Steve V, the college route is included here because if these immigrants are capable of becoming engineers, teachers, nurses, etc and become tax paying individuals who contribute to society, then those are the people this country needs. if they are here to leech off other people’s hard work then we need to get rid of them somehow.
@HisRoc, I’m not advocating making the military a rehab center, so yes they have to pass all the requirements you stated. personally I was shocked to find out several years ago that you don’t have to be a US citizen to be in the US military. Many Koreans enlist into the US Army abroad and serve their time there.
@LittleDavid, the GOP already told me there is not room for me back in 2008
Amit,
I believe that you are mistaking Korean Augmentation Troops to the US Army (KATUSA) for US soldiers. They are not the same thing, but it is not the first rather glaring error you have made about our US Forces in Korea.
Tell me again just what you consult on in Korea?
sorry HisRoc, if you want classified information go to wikileaks. as far as non-citizens serving in the military it happens all the time. the KATUSA you are referring to are mainly translators for the US military and are Koreans serving their mandatory 2 years of service.
Amit,
I wasn’t denying that non-citizens can serve in the US military–read my earlier posts. Are you learning disabled or do you have a reading impairment?
What I was disputing was that Koreans can enlist in the US military in Korea and serve their tour there without ever leaving Korea. I’m calling bullshit on that unless you are referring to KATUSA, who are members of the Korean military, not the US Army.
yes HisRoc, I am learning disabled and have a reading impairment. any other useless claims you want to make? call bullshit all you want but I know who I worked with.
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