COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Youth of Color
Bill: College, service OK for entrants' kids
Eunice Moscoso, COX NEWS SERVICE
December 18, 2006
WASHINGTON - Legislation that would let thousands of illegal-immigranthigh school students attend college or serve in the military has a good
chance of passing in a Congress controlled by Democrats, immigration
experts say.
A bill known as the DREAM Act would give illegal immigrants a conditional
visa that would turn into permanent residency if they complete two years
of college or serve honorably for two years in the armed forces. It also
would allow them to qualify for in-state college tuition.
Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La
Raza, a Hispanic civil rights organization, said Friday that the DREAM
Act - short for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors - is
"very, very likely to be on the table" as part of a larger overhaul of
the nation's immigration laws.
In addition, Carlina Tapia-Ruano, president of the American Immigration
Lawyers Association, said that the chances for the bill are "excellent."
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., a principal sponsor of the legislation
in the House, is planning to introduce a new version early next year.
He said he has met many excellent high school students over the years who
were undocumented because of a choice their parents made, and they should
not be punished for that.
"When someone has lived, in many instances, almost their entire life
here, they studied hard, they played by the rules, they should be able to
continue studying," he said.
This year, the DREAM Act had co-sponsors from both parties and passed in
the Senate, but ran into strong opposition from House conservatives
pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration. These members said the
DREAM Act amounted to a disguised amnesty.
The Democrats' success in winning a House majority in last month's
elections gives the bill a better chance, proponents said.
The legislation would apply to illegal immigrants who arrived in the
United States before age 16, have lived in the country for at least five
years before the law's enactment, have graduated from high school or
obtained a GED, and have no criminal record.
The conditional visa would expire in six years if the individual did not
successfully finish the two years of higher education or military
service.
The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute in Washington estimates that
the DREAM Act would make 279,000 people immediately eligible for college
enrollment or military service. In addition, 715,000 illegal immigrants
between the ages of 5 and 17 would become eligible in the future,
according to the group.
Margaret Stock, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and a
professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said the DREAM Act
could help replenish the military by providing a "highly qualified cohort
of young people" who have already passed a background check.
"They are already going to come vetted by Homeland Security. They will
already have graduated from high school," she said. "They are prime
candidates."
Tapia-Ruano said that the people targeted by the DREAM Act have lived in
the United States since they were small children, are fluent in English
and represent the future of the nation.
"They are completely acculturized, completely American," she said. "Who
is it hurting to provide these individuals the opportunity to continue
their education?"
But some lawmakers say they'll fight the DREAM Act because it rewards
illegal behavior.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who leads a caucus pushing for stronger
immigration controls, called for the deportation of an illegal immigrant
student a few years ago when the person appeared in a newspaper article
about the DREAM Act.
"Why should we give a taxpayer subsidy to someone who shouldn't even be
in this country, especially when we don't give it to legal American
residents from another state?" asked Tancredo, referring to in-state
tuition. "This kind of thing only increases the 'magnet effect' of
benefits that can typically draw even more illegal aliens."
Procedural hurdles could also emerge.
The legislation might be attached to a broader bill that provides a path
to citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants and creates a new
temporary worker plan.
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