DREAM Act, evolving views sign of progress
In his inaugural address earlier this year, President Barack Obama claimed, “Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity,” and that long journey toward immigration reform may be coming toward a close. The Senate introduced a bipartisan immigration bill this week that will hopefully enable concrete reform of our outdated and inadequate immigration policy. The bill, of course, is not perfect and will see some resistance, but it is the most adequate reform effort yet and should be passed.
The bill seeks to secure the border with Mexico. Current undocumented alien residents would not be able to gain citizenship until the border is so secure that 90 percent of attempted crossers are turned back. But once that benchmark is reached, anyone here since at least December 2011 would be able to pay a $500 fee and, after passing a background test, be granted registered provisional immigrant status. After that they must wait a 10-year period to take the standard tests given to all legal immigrants, and if they pass that, they will be granted full citizenship. That process is cut to five years for farm workers and those covered under the DREAM Act.
The bill gives more money and power to the Department of Homeland Security, showing dedication to the securing of the border. It makes E-Verify mandatory for all employers, protecting jobs for Americans. It also stops the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have been here since December 2011 and have not committed a serious crime, easing the burden of prisons and detention centers.
But the process of gaining citizenship will be pricey. It will cost individuals at least $2,000 over the 10 years to become a full citizen. Many undocumented aliens simply will not be able to pay that expense, but there have to be some costs associated with the process. The funds for the beefed-up border security need to come from somewhere, and $2,000 over 10 years isn’t so expensive that immigrants won’t still be able to take advantage of it.
We’ve come a long way from Mitt Romney’s ridiculous self-deportation claims, but the fight isn’t over. House Republicans are working on their own immigration plan, and a compromise will likely have to be reached between the two bills. Though the Senate plan has its faults, it does halt unnecessary deportations, take serious steps to secure the border and provide a reasonable, albeit expensive, path to citizenship. If passed, this would finally provide real progress for immigration.