David Frum from The Week describes in his editorial how the Dream Act has become more like an actual nightmare. Frum cannot invision the Dream Act passing during the lame-duck period, and he sees it as a political ploy to please and mobilize Hispanic voters before the 2012 elections. Then he explains three reasons of why the Dream Act not passing is a good thing. The first reason is that older illegal immigrants will use falsified documents to file under the Dream Act, which automatically halts deportation. He also criticizes how the Department of Homeland Security cannot use previous information from the Dream Act to deport someone. Another fault Frum sees is that children can sponsor their parents from amnesty starting at 12 years old. Lastly, he explains how the Dream Act gives a reason to young people to come to the United States and receive amnesty.
I understand where Frum comes from with his criticism of the Dream Act, but I feel he misses the big picture of what the legislation intends to do. If the law passes, it will help many that have seen the United States as their home since they were little, but they are not legal residents. I feel those number of young illegal immigrants are more substantive than the number of people that will abuse the Dream Act. Many systems in the system are misused in larger proportions (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security), yet no one seems to consider those issues when discussing the Dream Act. If we as a country can only look at the negative consequences immigration policy will bring, I fear we will never reach a conclusion on immigration.
No comments:
Post a Comment