2003 August | DreamActivist.Org

Archive for August, 2003

Statement of Senator Orrin Hatch on the DREAM Act

Statement of Senator Orrin G. Hatch before the United States Senate

On the Introduction of the “DREAM” Act “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act”

THANK YOU, Mr. President. I rise today to introduce legislation that will help make the American dream a reality for many young people. “The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act,” or “The DREAM Act,” resolves immigration status problems that plague undocumented immigrants who came to our country as youths. It also removes barriers to education so that they are better equipped to succeed in our society.

Each year, about fifty thousand young undocumented immigrants graduate from high school in the United States. Most of them came to this country with their parents as small children and have been raised here just like their U.S. citizen classmates. They view themselves as Americans, and are loyal to our country. Some may not even realize that they are here in violation of our immigration laws. They grow up to become honest and hardworking adolescents and young adults, and strive for academic as well as professional excellence.

Many of these youngsters find themselves caught in a catch-22 situation. As illegal immigrants, they cannot work legally. Moreover, they are effectively barred from developing academically beyond high school because of the high cost of pursuing higher education. Private colleges and universities are very expensive, and under current federal law, state institutions cannot grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, regardless of how long they have resided in that state. To make matters worse, as illegal immigrants, these young people are ineligible for federal tuition assistance. Moreover, these young people have no independent way of becoming legal residents of the United States.

In short, though these children have built their lives here, they have no possibility of achieving and living the American dream. What a tremendous loss to our society.

One young man who is in this predicament lives in my home State of Utah. His name is Danny Cairo. Danny came to the United States at the age of six with his mother who abandoned him eight years later. Danny had to drop out of school in order to support himself. Fortunately, he met Kevin King, who adopted Danny in 2001. With the help of Mr. King, Danny is presently attending the University of Utah.

This story, however, does not necessarily have a happy ending. Because of the date of the adoption, Danny is unable to derive immigration status from Mr. King. He, therefore, lives in legal limbo and faces the threat of deportation daily. In addition, he may never be able to legally work in the United States.

Our laws should not discourage those with bright young minds from seeking higher education. We should instead assist and encourage the many “Dannys” who are in the United States and who have the dedication and drive to achieve their worthy goals. I am proud that the DREAM Act provides illegal alien children with options for higher education, as well as the opportunity to earn legal residence in the United States.

First, the DREAM Act repeals the provision of federal law that prevents States from granting in-state tuition to undocumented aliens, leaving this issue at the discretion of the States. My own state of Utah passed a law that will allow in-state tuition for aliens who have been residents in Utah for at least three years. Many states have either passed or are considering the passage of similar legislation.

But the fact of the matter is that cheaper tuition at state schools, no matter how beneficial for these young people, will not solve the larger problem: their illegal immigration status. While I do not advocate granting unchecked amnesty to illegal immigrants, I am, however, in favor of providing children-children who did not make the decision to enter the United States illegally-the opportunity to earn the privilege of remaining here legally. The DREAM Act will do just that. It provides young men and women who immigrated to the United States prior to the age of sixteen, who have lived in this country at least five years, and who are of good moral character a chance to earn their conditional resident status upon acceptance by an institution of higher learning or upon graduation from high school. The DREAM Act allows these special young people to pursue their worthy goals and aspirations.

The bill I am introducing today will extend DREAM Act benefits to a group of people who were excluded from a similar bill negotiated during the 107th Congress. Today’s bill removes the age ceiling so that no one will be arbitrarily cut-off from benefits. Moreover, while the version from the last Congress requires high school graduation as a provision for obtaining legal status, the bill I am introducing today contains a provision that allows high school students who have been accepted into an institution of higher learning, but who have not yet graduated from high school, to obtain conditional resident status.

This provision enables these high school students to get an earlier start on procuring the necessary funds for financing their education.

Of course, we have to be mindful that the opportunity provided by the DREAM Act is a privilege and not an entitlement. We must make sure that those who reap the benefits of the Act are, in fact, worthy of such benefits. For this reason, the bill I am introducing today tightens certain requirements and eliminates waivers for those who have serious criminal records that would qualify them for deportation.

In addition, while I always want to encourage educational advancement, I recognize that not everyone’s circumstances allow for full-time attendance at a four-year college. For this reason, the DREAM Act provides for certain alternatives like attending community college, trade school, serving in our armed forces, or performing community service.

The purpose of the DREAM Act is to create incentives for out-of-status youngsters to achieve as much as they can in life and to contribute to the greatness of the United States. I recognize that if the bill’s requirements are so high that they simply operate as barriers to legalizing status, the bill defeats its own stated purpose. That is why I am committed to ensuring that the requirements imposed by this bill are reasonable and can be met by youngsters who are willing to work hard. The DREAM Act will enable youngsters who have ambition and motivation to obtain permanent legal status.

During the 107th Congress, I introduced a version of the DREAM Act (S. 1291). Since then, it has been replaced in favor of the Durbin/Hatch/Kennedy/ Brownback substitute. The substitute was put on the Senate calendar but did not receive a vote. The House Judiciary Committee debated identical legislation during the last Congress but it was defeated. The House Judiciary Committee has not yet moved similar legislation this Congress. I want to make sure that the DREAM Act we introduce in the 108th Congress will not die in the hopper as it did in the House last year.

By introducing this bill, I know I am subjecting myself to criticism from both sides of the aisle on my immigration policy. Some proponents of strict immigration enforcement argue that the DREAM Act will encourage illegal entry into the United States. However, the DREAM Act was carefully drafted to avoid this precise problem. The Act specifically limits eligibility to those who entered the United States five years or more prior to the bill’s enactment. It applies to a limited number of people who already reside in the United States and who have demonstrated favorable equities in and significant ties to the United States. Anyone who entered the United States less than five years prior to the enactment of this bill or who plans to illegally enter the United States in the future will NOT be covered by the DREAM Act.

On the other hand, proponents for providing general amnesty contend that there shouldn’t be any requirements after high school graduation. I agree that for some of these children, graduation from high school is a grand enough accomplishment in itself. My bill recognizes this achievement by providing these graduates with the reward of conditional resident status so that they may work toward permanent status without fear of deportation.

Nonetheless, some critics argue that most immigrant children cannot go to college, nor can they meet the standards set by the current version of the DREAM Act. They cite statistics showing that only a small percentage of illegal immigrant children ever attend college and they argue that this DREAM…

Wednesday, August 20th, 2003

Congress, Senator Hatch | No Comments

IMMIGRANTS DREAM OF AN EDUCATION Push law to school illegals

Source: Daily News

Yuna Im of Flushing fears that one day she will be deported.

The 24-year-old South Korean, who dreams of becoming a graphic designer, said she is afraid to apply for college or even get a driver’s license because she is an illegal immigrant.

Yesterday at the headquarters of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, Im stood with her peers to campaign for two bills - the DREAM (Development Relief and Education For Alien Minors) Act and the Student Adjustment Act.

The bills would legalize undocumented immigrants, giving them permanent residency status and the ability to pay in-state college tuition at public institutions and state universities.

The DREAM Act would apply to undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. continuously for at least five years who are graduates of a high school in the U.S. Under the Student Adjustment Act, an individual cannot be older than 21 years of age.

Steven Sungkyu Yun, executive director of the consortium, who is pushing for the passage of both bills, said the DREAM Act was reintroduced in the Senate in July and the Student Adjustment Act in the House in April.

“It is a bipartisan effort - its co-sponsors and co-introducers include Republicans as well as Democrats,” said Yun, who will go to Washington next month accompanied by 30 undocumented young people. They intend to urge Congress to pass both bills, particularly the DREAM Act, he said.

“Hopefully, we want DREAM Act to be the final law because there is no age clause,” said Yun, who already has collected 1,500 signed letters in favor of the two bills.

‘It’s painful’

“It’s painful, because sometimes I feel like I have nothing in the future,” said Im as she wiped away tears. “But if the DREAM Act gets passed, it would mean I would be able to go to college and not worry about whether I should get married to a United States citizen in order to get legal status. When they reintroduced it last month, I called my mom and . . . we both cried.”

Said Yun, “If the bills pass, they will tremendously impact the 55,000 undocumented immigrants in the Korean American community and the 115,000 undocumented immigrants in the Chinese-American community out of the 7 million nationally. We are urging not only Asians but other communities to work together.”

Ana Maria Archila, executive director of the Latin American Integration Center, said the Latino population is “the largest minority population in the state.”

“Although there are no specific numbers on the number of Latino undocumented immigrants, roughly half of the undocumented numbers are Latino,” said Archila. “We believe this is important legislation to secure the future of our immigrant communities.”

Wednesday, August 20th, 2003

DREAM Act Students | No Comments

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