Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010

Floor Speech

Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, DREAM, Act of 2010.

Today we can open the door of opportunity to thousands of young people already living in America, who want to pursue the American dream.

Let us be clear about what this bill actually does. It will provide children and young people with the ability to serve their country or pursue higher education. It is not amnesty and it will not promote illegal immigration. This is a bipartisan bill that will provide a narrow group of undocumented young people who were brought to this country as children the chance to earn conditional permanent residency.

This bill sets up a rigorous ten-year process for achieving legal permanent resident status. It will not apply to any future immigrants, only those who are already in our country and meet several other conditions. A person can only qualify if he or she was brought to the United States by age 15, is under 29 years of age, has lived in the country for at least five years at the date of the bill's enactment, has good moral character, is without a criminal record, and has earned a high-school diploma, and its equivalent is eligible for conditional legal status. To maintain their status, these individuals have to complete two years of higher education or military service. After ten years, they can apply to become legal permanent residents. Beneficiaries are not eligible for any federal benefits, including food stamps, welfare, or health care.

The DREAM Act will boost our economy by creating economic opportunity for young people. The individuals that benefit from this bill will start businesses, buy homes, and pay taxes. Do we really want to be the country that deports the next Bill Gates or shuts out the next Steve Jobs from our school system because of their parents' immigration status?

Most importantly, this legislation recognizes that children must not be punished for the actions of their parents. Our immigration system must be fundamentally reformed, but denying an education and a place in our workforce to the children of undocumented parents will not help fix a broken system.

Every child deserves an education and a chance to succeed, no matter where they come from or what situation they are born into. Our country's top educators, military men and women, and business leaders all support this bill, and we should listen to them. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the DREAM Act.

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