Perhaps there could be a good reason that a legalization for the so-called Dreamers has never been passed, namely that it would reward law breakers and entice more to break the law, but, hey, this is Important to the Washington Post editorial board
Congress, why wait for the court to act on ‘dreamers’? Just do the right thing.
IN THE expansive realm of congressional dysfunction, there are few recent examples that surpass the failure to shield from deportation hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, now in their 20s and 30s, who have grown up, studied and entered the job force after being brought to the United States as children. Here is a youthful cohort of more than 700,000 — as ambitious and promising as their native-born neighbors, classmates, co-workers and friends — whom large majorities of Americans want to protect. And still their fate remains hostage to Capitol Hill’s habitual gridlock.
As the Supreme Court hears legal arguments Tuesday on the Obama-era policy that provided a reprieve from removal and gave job permits to hundreds of thousands of young unauthorized immigrants, and on the Trump administration’s 2017 attempt to rescind that policy, it’s worth remembering some history. Specifically, that members of Congress of both parties have been trying, and failing, to codify those very protections for so-called dreamers nearly since the turn of the century.
They’re ambitious! They’re promising! And mostly end up taking jobs and college spots from lawful U.S. citizens, more often backed by taxpayer money. Anyhow, this might have worked way back in 2001 when “Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, and Sen. Richard J. Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, introduced the Dream Act” originally, but, that didn’t provide any deterrents for future cases of parents bringing kids illegally, and it ended up rewarding the parents who “committed the sin” of crossing the border illegally/overstaying their visas
Perversely, it is imaginable that Congress, and perhaps even Mr. Trump, could be jarred into acting on the dreamers’ behalf by a Supreme Court ruling that removed their protections and job security. Mass layoffs and waves of deportations, along with the financial distress those would trigger, could create the sort of crisis that focuses minds in Washington when all else fails. And the fiscal and economic impact of layoffs affecting hundreds of thousands of employees, and others still in college, would be consequential. A 2017 CATO Institute study found that deporting 750,000 young people protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program would sap the U.S. economy by $280 billion over a decade, and the federal tax coffers by an additional $60 billion.
Monetary concerns should have no bearing on dealing with law breakers. People who commit crimes lose their jobs, go to jail, and create financial distress to their families all the time. The same CATO also notes
We estimate that DREAMers had an incarceration rate of 0.98 percent in 2015 compared to a native-born incarceration rate of 1.12 percent, a DACA-ineligible illegal immigrant incarceration rate of 0.38 percent, and a legal immigrant incarceration rate of 0.24 percent (Figure 1).
That’s all nice, but, do you know what the incarceration rate for Dreamers should be? Zero. They shouldn’t be here, same as the “DACA-ineligible.” A US Citizenship and Immigration Services study also found
- Almost 8-percent of total DACA requestors (59,786 individuals) had arrest records as of the date the systems were queried, which included offenses such as assault and battery, rape, murder, and drunk driving, among others.  “Requestors†includes individuals approved and denied DACA.
- Of those individuals whose DACA requests were approved and had one or more arrests or apprehensions, 53,792 were arrested or apprehended prior to their most recent approval.
- Approximately 13-percent (7,814) of approved DACA requestors with an arrest had an arrest after their grant was approved and prior to renewal.
In fairness, most had no arrests. But, they’re still ripping off the Unites States, and Demanding that they be given money, food, education, healthcare, housing, oh, and that their parents be given lawful status too. As I wrote in 2017
Here’s a recommendation: Congress puts DACA into law, but allows 4 year renewals, rather than 2 years, in order to decrease burden on federal agencies. Just like with people who are applying for citizenship, any serious crimes can be cause to cancel an illegals legal status and deport them. And, yes, even DUIs may be considered cause, just like with those applying for citizenship. After 12 years, they can go through the same process as those applying for citizenship in order to attempt to earn full citizenship.
BUT, if we aren’t going to lay the “sins†of the parent(s) on the children, we are going to lay them on the parent(s). In order to obtain DACA status, the parent(s) must self deport, and provide proof at an immigration checkpoint as they leave. They are not allowed back in the United States for 2 years, and then only for a short visit. If they are caught residing in the U.S., or attempting to enter the country illegally, the children will have their DACA status ended and will be deported. After 12 years, they would be allowed to apply for temporary resident status, conditioned on speaking English and having good moral character. This seems fair. The parents broke our laws.
If you don’t agree with punishing the parents, then you’re simply using DACA to create a backdoor amnesty for all.
All the DACA attempts give the parents a pathway to staying in the U.S..
TEACH typed: Monetary concerns should have no bearing on dealing with law breakers.
What crime did the Dreamers commit?
Illegally entering the US of A.
As well as all the felonies they committed afterward.
The Washington post is right in that the proper place for this deliberation is Congress. Not to Overturn a Trump Executive order or to support an Obama order, but to pass actual laws, approved in both houses and signed by the President (Trump in this case).
Funny how “doing the right thing” always means voting the Democratic party line.
Trump asked Nancy Pelosi to fix this. She refused and walked away and they shouted louder at Trump seperating children at the border.
Its a political football. The democrats dont give a shit about DACA. They don’t care about our soldiers, they dont care about jobs of our citizens. They only care about power.
thats why they keep the plantation alive and full of homeless, helpless and people who have given up all hope.
Power.
Funny how “doing the right thing†always means voting the Democratic party line.
But hardly a coincidence.
If Dems win the House, WH and Senate the Dreamer issue will be settled by law.
If Dems win the House, WH and Senate the Dreamer issue will be settled by law.
That is the proper way of things. One wonders why the Democrats didn’t fix this the last time they had the WH, House, and Senate. It seems they only care about “Dreamers” when they are campaigning.
It appears the sarcasm went right over your head, Fredo. The Democrat Party line is NEVER “doing the right thing” unless you clowns believe Karl Marx and the rest of the leftist mass murderers are the right thing. Do ya?
This is for you and your commie friends.
https://youtu.be/exnaY0l4XsM
“If”? And here we were told it was a surety.
No coinkydink. The Demo party line is the opposite of what you want. Only idiots believe it’s the right thing.
Teach your lack of any empathy for infants and children who were brought into the USA is really amazing
Especially considering your own childhood good fortune
Yet you would happily slam the door in the face of others who are in most compelling need than you were
And yet you support the murder of millions of children through abortion.
Tell me John, should people benefit from the illegal acts of family members? If a person robs a bank, should their family be able to keep the proceeds of the robbery?
If there are no consequences to unlawful acts, doesn’t that mean there is no law?
I know you won’t answer probably because your mom is calling you because the pizza rolls you asked for are done.
John never responds. In 2016 leading up the election he was here non stop talking nonsense in defense of HRC. Literally the day after the election he disappeared never to be heard from again. Now leading up to the 2020 election he is back spouting the same nonsense.
Sounds like a Bot. Random talking points unrelated to the topic at hand or to responses in comments section. A high school computer science project at best to see how many people they can fool into believing their random talking point generator is a real person.
Certainly Obama destroyed HRC and the GOP in 2007-2008 with his barrage on social media. It’s taken years for the right to catch up. Its why the other day Warren started her own meme team. Bots are a serious problem.
I heard just this morning that within a year or two the LIKE button is going away on Face book because? Because the kids are desperate to be LIKED. Social media is making them sissies.
My Brother in law sent his granddaughter to Northwestern. They have a Wailing BOARD in the hallway. They all mark down how many times they cry at the board each day because life is too hard, school is too hard, they dont have enough friends.
This is what the left wants of our children. It begins with daycare, advances through school and finishes with College and along the way they are brainwashed by Social Media.
It is a powerful tool of the left.
Now YouTube is saying they will no longer let you post videos on YouTube if the video does not make money. YouTube has been losing money for a long time. The reason is Google wanted to monopolize the platfrom and then when the time is right they are pouncing and ridding the world of Conservative voices who cannot make money because they are suppressed.
At least Warren and I agree on one thing. Google is a danger to this world in more ways than one.
He went to jail. He will not tell us why. And he is very stupid.
If they want to come in, let them come in legally.
Not hard. All the Demos care about is illiterate chumps they can frighten into voting for them.
I used to think like that, formwiz but I’ve changed. Now I believe if they want to come in they need to: 1. Ask permission, 2. Bring something with them America needs-either talent-money or both, 3. LEARN ENGLISH, 4. Renounce foreign allegiance, no dual citizenship, 5. Have a clean criminal record including DUI’s and misdemeanors, 6. Have perfect health and all vaccines and vaccinations and inoculations, 7. Not be pregnant, 8. Not be on ANY welfare program for at least five years, 9. Vow to become citizens within 5 years or be deported. Then and only then they can apply legally for entry.
We should also only allow a certain percentage of each ethnic group so as not to show desperate impact to let’s say Caucasians. Therefore, we should admit seven Caucasians for every two blacks and one Hispanic. That way we’re not illegally changing the racial makeup of the country.
We should also deny entry to any communists or Mohammadans as those two groups have pledged to destroy America and are our enemies. Only a fool brings his enemies into his home.
Trump 2020 Finish the wall and put our troops there to seal it.