Pro-Con | Is the DREAM Act a form of amnesty for illegal immigrants?

Yes

Constantly spun as a legalization for “young people who should not be punished for what their parents did” (violate American immigration laws) the DREAM Act could legalize two million illegal aliens up to age 35. And then allow them to sponsor their parents — who brought them here illegally — for U.S. citizenship, as well as extended relatives.

The DREAM Act amnesty would retroactively repeal the federal ban on in-state tuition for illegal aliens, so individual states could grant this subsidy at the expense of U.S. citizens and legal residents.

Put another way, if the Democrats were to be successful in finding the votes for this amnesty bill, an American citizen or a legal immigrant would pay the higher out-of-state tuition rates while illegal aliens pay less to attend American universities

The DREAM Act amnesty would punish legal immigrants for what their parents did not do — ignore our laws and steal American jobs.

D.A. King, for the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph

NO

Whatever your opinion of the so-called DREAM Act, it’s not amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would apply to non-citizens who are younger than 35, arrived before they were 16, have been here for five years and have obtained a high school diploma or GED. They could apply for permanent resident status if they serve two years in the military or complete two years of college and maintain good moral character.

Those are conditions. They are not amnesty. Amnesty is what President Carter granted those who dodged the draft. Amnesty may be what President Reagan granted in 1986 when he signed the bill that placed no penalties on those who were in the United States illegally.

It’s a sign of how dysfunctional the Senate has become that Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, voted against the DREAM Act this week. Hatch introduced the act in 2001. Those hoping for a rational discussion of immigration are dreaming.

| Randy Schultz, Palm Beach Post

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/25/2250201/pro-con-is-the-dream-act-a-form.html#ixzz10kUibIv2