The DREAM Act has been a subject of great controversy and may come up for debate on the House floor today. Many Republicans have great concerns about the consequences of passing legislation that encourages illegal immigration. Rep. Lamar Smith (TX) wrote in detail about a few things that could become a reality should this legislation pass. See an excerpt of that piece here:
Last week, the Department of Labor reported that unemployment in America rose to 9.8 percent. Joblessness has now topped 9.5 percent for 16 straight months, the longest stretch since the Great Depression. Yet in the 11th hour of the 111th Congress, Democrats are attempting to pass legislation that would grant amnesty to an estimated two million illegal immigrants.
The DREAM Act subsidizes education for illegal immigrants, grants them mass amnesty, encourages more illegal immigration and inevitably takes jobs from American workers. Simply put, the DREAM Act is a nightmare for the American people.
Claims that the bill only applies to 875,000 illegal immigrants are misleading. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated two million illegal immigrants under the age of 35 would be eligible for amnesty under the DREAM Act. Once amnesty recipients become citizens and turn 21, they can sponsor their illegal immigrant parents for legalization. This kind of chain migration only encourages more illegal immigration, as parents will bring their children to the U.S. in hopes of receiving citizenship.