DREAM Act holds promise of economic stimulus for state

In recent days, as Congress considers acting on the law, there has been lots of commentary on the DREAM Act.  Here are some thoughts from Marielena Hincapié of the National Immigration Law Center as well as yours truly  The following is an excerpt:
 

“We all benefit by ensuring that the DREAMers can live the American dream. The DREAM Act would allow us to take a first, important step toward modernizing the U.S. immigration laws by allowing those who call this country home to be permitted to fully contribute economically to the nation’s well-being.

For Californians, the DREAM Act holds the promise of improving a sputtering economy. More than 500,000 DREAMers live in California. With a college education or military training, these young people have the skills and education to jump-start the economy and create a more prosperous work force.

Moreover, common sense dictates that college-educated workers – workers whom Californians invested in by providing a K-12 education – earn more and contribute more in taxes than those without such an education. It is irrational not to capitalize on the state’s investment in the DREAMers as well as to deny California’s employers, and tax coffers, this valuable asset. In enacting Assembly Bill 540, the California Legislature reached a similar conclusion and ensured that all graduates of California high schools would be eligible for in-state resident fees at California’s public colleges and universities, a law that the California Supreme Court recently upheld.

Some argue that Congress should wait to pass a more comprehensive solution to fix the nation’s broken immigration system. We firmly believe that it unquestionably is the case that the nation must eventually create a system that meets the societal and economic needs of the United States. However, to paraphrase Voltaire, the “perfect” should not be the enemy of the “good.” In our estimation, the DREAM Act would be a “good,” even if not a “perfect,” first step toward some kind of lasting, meaningful and practical immigration reform.

Californians face many difficult decisions in putting their economic house in order. By passing the DREAM Act, Congress can help provide a cost-neutral economic stimulus that will help the Golden State’s future entrepreneurs, engineers, Web designers and community leaders to contribute fully to California’s economy.”

KJ