DREAM Becomes a Nightmare

Curtis Coleman

Curtis Coleman, Contributing Author: A few months ago I granted an interview to National Public Radio (NPR). One of the interviewer’s first questions was about the DREAM Act, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act introduced March 26, 2009 by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Richard Lugar (R- IN).

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has inserted the DREAM Act provision into the Defense Authorization legislation scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, September 21 at 2:15 p.m. (ET). Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) is a co-sponsor of the bill. Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) has reportedly not yet made up his mind about his vote on the legislation.

Under the bill, students age 12-35 at the time of the enactment of the law who came to the United States before they were 16 and were raised in the United States continuously for at least five years, graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED or joined the military and are of “good moral character” could gain permanent legal status. It could grant citizenship to an estimated 800,000 to one million illegal immigrant youths who complete high school or military service.

The NPR host asked me if I would support the DREAM Act as a path to citizenship. I responded that there was already a path to citizenship and that the nation’s immigration laws and regulations need to be enforced. And I expressed my belief that if the nation’s immigration laws were uniformly enforced todo ello¸ the country would have more available resources for accelerating citizenship applications. I wasn’t a big hit with NPR.

The DREAM Act Portal website makes a compelling argument:

“Over three million students graduate from U.S. high schools every year. Most get the opportunity to test their dreams and live their American story. However, a group of approximately 65,000 youth do not get this opportunity; they are smeared with an inherited title, an illegal immigrant. These youth have lived in the United States for most of their lives and want nothing more than to be recognized for what they are, Americans.

“The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation…that can solve this hemorrhaging injustice in our society. Under the rigorous provisions of the DREAM Act, qualifying undocumented youth would be eligible for a 6 year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service.”

I can admit that I have struggled with the DREAM Act. If my family lived in some other countries and, solely because we lived there, my children were malnourished, under-educated and inadequately clothed, I would risk my life to get them to a better place with adequate food, clothing and opportunity. I understand why we have so many illegal immigrants.

I wanted to write here that their children become the ultimate victims, living under the stigma and insecurity of growing up as an illegal alien, but that would be an inaccurate statement. The fact is that life is better than the one they escaped. I know former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee well enough to understand his motivation when he supported providing financial aid for college to the children of illegal aliens:His words tugged at my heart and I admired his courage, but I did not support Governor Huckabee on this issue then and I do not now. These families did not come to Arkansas through “open doors.” We did not say, as Governor Huckabee suggested, “that our doors are open but our opportunities are closed.”

These families may have done the right thing, but they did it the wrong way. Dan Stein of the Federation for American Immigration Reform was clearly right when he said

Passage will “send a clear message to parents that violating U.S. immigration laws will result in eventual citizenship and access to expensive taxpayer-financed benefits for their kids.”

I would that America had such limitless resources that we could throw open our doors and without restriction or caution say,"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"America does not have that unlimited capacity. Our ultimate demise lies at the end of our attempt to act otherwise.

Harry Reid’s inclusion of the DREAM Act in the Defense Authorization bill is a despicable political ploy with no redeeming motivation. It is adequately tragic that the children of illegal aliens are victims of their parents’ illicit actions. It is deplorable that Reid would use their plight for no other purpose than to attempt to advance his personal political future.

It is no wonder this Congress is regarded as the most irresponsible Congress in history.
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Curtis Coleman is President of The Curtis Coleman Institute for Constitutional Policy, headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Coleman is also the Co-founder and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Safe Foods Corporation. He lectures on team building and servant leadership in the Emerging Leaders program at the Center for Management and Executive Development, University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton School of Business.

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Tags: DREAM Act, Amnesty, Defense Authorization Bill, Harry Reid, Blanche Lincoln, US Constitution, unfunded mandate, States rights, Curtis Coleman, Institute for Constitutional Policy To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!