Mark Krikorian complains about Harry Reid's intent to add the DREAM Act to the Defense Authorization bill next week. The DREAM Act would offer a path to citizenship for undocumented children of immigrants brought here by their parents before the age of 16 who graduate high school or serve in the military. The bill is premised on the basic idea that the country is made better by the presence of immigrants who want to contribute to American society, and that children shouldn't be blamed for the actions of their parents. Krikorian writes:
And for those who say the DREAM Act would be a small amnesty, for just a handful of “kids,” the Migration Policy Institute, a pro-amnesty outfit, has estimated that 2.1 million illegal immigrants could benefit from it — not that much smaller than the 2.8 million who were legalized under the 1986 amnesty.
Yes, I linked to this study yesterday, but I actually read it, all 22 pages.
Our analysis finds that slightly more than 2.1 million individuals could attempt to pursue permanent legal status should the legislation be enacted, though three of the four cohorts of potential beneficiaries we identified would face serious — and in a very large number of cases insurmountable — challenges to achieving permanent status. If future behavior mirrors past trends, we project that approximately 38 percent — or 825,000 — of the potential beneficiaries would actually achieve lawful permanent status under the legislation.
Details. It's true that passing the bill would help rally Democratic voters, which is precisely why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former DREAM Act supporters like Orrin Hatch are cynically trying to prevent the DREAM Act from being passed next week, as though not granting a path to citizenship for the most Americanized, productive, and blameless undocumented residents could make them disappear.
