The House passed a bill Tuesday that would speed the path to citizenship for people brought to this country illegally as children. The measure passed 216-198 but now faces a nearly impossible hurdle in the Senate on Thursday, where it is unlikely to garner the 60 votes needed to block a GOP filibuster.
The bill, known as the DREAM Act, would allow people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16 to be granted conditional resident status if they have earned a GED or been admitted to college. Excluded would be those with three or more misdemeanors.
Those admitted into the program could gain citizenship if they complete two years of college or military service.
Analysts believe more than 2 million people here illegally could be eligible for the program. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would cut the deficit by $1.3 billion but ultimately cost $5 billion as those enrolled in the program begin using entitlement programs like Medicare. A group opposed to the measure, The Center for Immigration Studies, said if the DREAM Act becomes law, it would cost $6.2 billion per year as immigrants in the program take advantage of in-state college tuition rates.
Democrats argued that the measure is the only fair and practical way of dealing with young people who have spent their whole lives in the United States but are not allowed the benefits of citizenship because their parents brought them here illegally.
“The choice tonight is between allowing those young people to live their lives in the shadow of America, [and ensuring] those who want to serve our country and contribute to our economy can stay in the country that is their home, ” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
Republicans said the bill would award amnesty to every illegal immigrant in the country younger than 30, even those with criminal records. They also argued the DREAM Act would raise unemployment by adding potentially millions of immigrants to the workforce and said it would encourage more illegal immigration by parents who want their children to benefit from the DREAM Act.
“It puts the interest of illegals ahead of those of law-abiding Americans,” said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas.
Republicans also pointed to the potential for fraud, saying it would be impossible to determine if applicants meet all the requirements, such as living in the United States for five years before applying for the program.
The Senate debated the measure Wednesday but put off a vote. The delay most likely occurred because the bill would not have passed, making the House vote meaningless.
“It’s perfectly clear by now that our friends on the other side are more interested in pleasing special interest groups than addressing our nation’s job crisis,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, criticizing the decision by Democrats to take up the DREAM act instead of a tax cut measure.
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said the measure is the only fair and compassionate way of dealing with the millions of young people left in limbo because they came here illegally.
“They are the valedictorians of their classes, the presidents and stars on the sports teams, and they are undocumented,” Durbin said.
