Dream Act was caught in an economic vise

[pampango]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2013743414_cepeda23.html?prmid=op_ed

While it's understandable that immigrant advocates were bitterly disappointed at the failure of a law that would have created a path to citizenship for certain children of illegal immigrants, they are missing an important piece of the puzzle. Yes, great amounts of anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic sentiments have colored the issue of illegal immigration for the past several years. Yet the real reason the Dream Act failed last week was not discrimination. It was the economy.

Those dumbfounded that anyone could have opposed legislation that encouraged young people to attend college and serve in the military, as a path to citizenship, aren't seeing the big picture: Unemployment is high and legalizing an estimated 1.2 million young people would have put them in direct competition with U.S.-born citizens for college slots, and for jobs that currently don't exist. ... That exemplifies the real failure here. This country has allowed the rhetoric about how legalizing illegal immigrants will lower our standard of living — and how dissing the Hispanic voting bloc will result in dire consequences for politicians — to overshadow any meaningful debates.

For instance, by the time the House version of the bill got to the Senate floor, the time frame in which the military or educational requirements were to be met was lengthened by five years and "good cause" waivers were added, the period for security and law enforcement checks had been lengthened, and eligibility for certain Stafford loans had been added. Public deliberation on those points could have shaped parts of a future comprehensive immigration reform and made the Dream Act efforts worthwhile.

It has been five years since immigration reform was pushed by President George W. Bush and there has been no progress in devising a strategy for how to deal with our 11 million illegal immigrants — and maybe even improving our long-term economic outlook by making the best use of them. This is what all voters should be angry about next time they go to the polls.

[RZM]

1. I think part of the problem

is that 'immigration reform' means opposite things to many people. For some, it means all-out amnesty and for others, it means deportations and an immigration moratorium. What worries me is that the compromise, if it even happens at all, is going to end up being a watered-down half-measure that essentially does little but preserve the status quo.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. And I believe it was racism

Just reading the blogs made it obvious. No one who opposed The Dream Act talked about the economy, they just went on about the illegals. If it makes them feel better to claim it was the economy, I find that more than a tad dishonest.

[DCKit]

3. Because we need more gang members to justify funding the internal MICC.

If they become teachers and doctors, etc... there's no money in it.

It may have been unintended consequences that created MS-13, but it's been a boon to Federal funding of every branch of law enforcement.