DREAM ACT

1. DREAM ACT Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors

2. What are the provisions? Provide scholarships to students who: • have at least one immigrant parent • have attended school in Illinois for three years and • have graduated from high school or received a GED in Illinois • all money for the fund will be private; no public dollars will go toward the fund.

3. One Student’s Story Noor is a recent college graduate who lives in suburban Chicago.  Originally from Pakistan, she came to the United States with her family more than a decade ago.  Since that time, she has been an undocumented immigrant, trying to navigate through life and a college education.

4. One Student’s Story (Cont.) Even though she won't benefit from the program, Noor is an enthusiastic supporter of the Illinois DREAM Act.  It gives illegal immigrants like her a way to receive privately funded financial aid to help pay for the high costs of college tuition."We can't get student loans or anything like that, so we are like at a standstill.  Our lives are pretty much on hold until we are legal.  So for people like us, this is extremely important," she added.

5. Myth: America can’t afford the DREAM Act.Fact: America can’t afford not to pass the DREAM Act. • Congressional Budget Office did the analysis and concluded that the DREAM Act would reduce the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. • By not removing the 700,000 eligible kids would cost taxpayers $16.2 billion over five years.

6. Myth: The DREAM Act would reward illegal behavior.Fact: Eligible youth who had no say in the decision to come to the United States would have to work hard to earn permanent residence, and the earliest they could gain citizenship would be 13 years. • These kids were brought to the United States before they had a say in their life circumstances. Denying them hope and opportunity is punishment for an act beyond their control. Enabling them to work hard and earn the privilege of citizenship is hardly “rewarding” illegal behavior.

7. Myth: Passing the DREAM Act would encourage more illegal immigration.Fact: The bill has strict requirements that make only a discrete one-time universe of individuals eligible for relief. • An individual must have come to the United States before they were 16 years old, and they must have been in the United States for more than five years on the date of enactment. In addition, they must be under 30 years old on the date of enactment and they must prove that they have possessed good moral character from the time they arrived in the United States.

8. Myth: The DREAM Act would trigger large-scale “chain migration.”Fact: It would be at least 10 years before a DREAM Act beneficiary could sponsor their spouse or child for permanent residence and at least 13 years before they could sponsor their parents or siblings. • The soonest these youths would be able to sponsor their spouses or minor children to come to the United States would be 10 years after enactment. They could not sponsor their parents or siblings until after they became U.S. citizens, which is a minimum of 13 years after gaining legal status. Moreover, if their parents or siblings were in the United States unlawfully they would be required to leave the United States for 10 years before becoming eligible for sponsorship.

9. Other Benefits • The DREAM Act would reduce the dropout rate of immigrant students. Foreign-born students represent a significant and growing percentage of the current student population. The proportion of foreign-born students in grades 6-12 increased from 1.7 to 5.7 percent from 1970 to 1995. • The DREAM Act would lead more immigrants to graduate from high school and college, it would also increase tax revenues and reduce government expenses

10. Oppositions •  If the DREAM ACT is passed, it would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from deporting aliens who’ve applied for the amnesty until their applications are resolved • Some folks oppose the DREAM Act because it would supposedly reward illegal activities or because these illegal citizens do not deserve it by granting them citizenship if they attend college or join the military.

11. Oppositions (Cont.) • Millions of its beneficiaries would then be able to eventually sponsor parents and other relatives to legally come here — including those adults who originally broke the law and put the young DREAM Act recipient in their current tight spot. • The immigrant students would also take coveted positions in colleges that have limited enrollment, pushing out legal residents who earned the right to attend the college on their own merit.

12. Oppositions (Cont.) • The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children -- Applicants can be up to the age of 29; The Age Range is to Broad. • The DREAM Act PROVIDES SAFE HARBOR FOR ANY ALIEN, Including Criminals, From Being Removed or Deported If They Simply Submit An Application • The DREAM Act allows applicants be convicted of 1 felony or up to 3 misdemeanors. • The DREAM Act Does Not Require That An Illegal Alien Finish Any Type of Degree. The applicant only has to complete the equivalent of two years of college.

13. Oppositions (Cont.) • They have received an elementary and high school education from our public school system • In many, if not most, cases the parents have worked without paying taxes • Foreign-born high school graduates in those same age groups who were brought into the country legally wouldn't quality for these invaluable benefits. • "We don't ask students about their immigration status. If they've graduated from high school and qualify academically, they're admitted," Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University