Former Bush administration speechwriter Michael Gerson, who retains his former boss' moderation in immigration matters, urges the Senate to pass the DREAM Act:
Whatever its legislative fate, the Dream Act is effective at stripping away pretense. Opponents of this law don't want earned citizenship for any illegal immigrant -- even those personally guilty of no crime, even those who demonstrate their skills and character. The Dream Act would be a potent incentive for assimilation. But for some, assimilation clearly is not the goal. They have no intention of sharing the honor of citizenship with anyone called illegal -- even those who came as children, have grown up as neighbors and would be willing to give their lives in the nation's cause.
During the current lame-duck session of Congress, Republicans have been correct to emphasize economic concerns, which the public prioritized in the recent election. But supporting the Dream Act would send a useful message -- that some Republicans in victory are capable of governing for the sake of everyone.
Gerson emphasizes the DREAM Act's favorable CBO score but also makes another point that immigration advocates have been perhaps slower to emphasize -- that the bill would help the economy because DREAMers "would generate $1.4 trillion to $3.6 trillion in income during their working lives." That may be because the moral argument for not punishing children for their parents' decisions is already strong, or it may be because bogus arguments about immigrants being a massive drain on the economy are so dominant that it's almost useless to state the truth. But I'm not sure why Republicans would want to send the message that they are "capable of governing for the sake of everyone"; it's clear that they're not, that they don't want to, and their base isn't particularly interested in them doing so. There hasn't been much of a political price to pay thus far.
