THE AMERICAN DREAM FOR NOT AMERICANS

Sometimes I have to play devil’s advocate on a subject that I don’t clearly understand.  So is the case with the Illinois DREAM ACT.

Illinois Governor Quinn signed a state law recently that has been called the Illinois DREAM Act.  The purpose of this act was to establish a privately funded college scholarship program for illegal immigrants  by creating a nine-member commission that would raise money and distribute the funds. Quinn pledged personal funds of $1,000 as the first donor.   

Furthermore, the bill allows illegal immigrants aged 18 to 29 to invest in the Bright Start and College Illinois programs.   (Invest?  As in voluntarily give their money??  This is unclear, as it’s hardly likely that illegals would voluntarily give their money to the government)  As an aside, Illinois already offers in-state tuition rates to students who entered the country via illegal means at public universities. 

 I don’t understand a number of issues about the bill and hope that a “smart” legislator can give me some answers.

(1)  Why did we need a new state law to establish the DREAM Act when no state funds are supposed to be used for funding these scholarships?

Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), who sponsored the bill, told the Sun-Times, “We are simply saying they should be treated as other children are who want to go to college.”  That still does not explain why a state bill was needed if the scholarships are funded privately.

(2)  One could say that the bill was needed to allow illegal immigrants to invest in college savings plans known as 529 plans. But that makes no sense!  The 529 plans allow people to shelter money from taxes.  If a person is an illegal immigrant, than he/she are not paying income taxes to begin with!  So why provide a tax shelter for people who are not paying taxes?

3) At the time of passage in the Illinois Senate, Republican Sen. Tom Johnson (R-Chicago) said, “This is an American value issue…[immigrant youth] are our future. They are our fellow residents of Illinois.”  His statement seems like it makes sense until you read a study by Roberto G. Gonzales, a sociologist who examined the life histories of young illegal adults raised in the United States.  He is an assistant professor at  the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration, and he was previously an assistant professor at the University of Washington's School of Social Work.  

In July, the University of Washington’s School of Social Work published an article in the American Sociological Review  about Gonzales’ study.  He conducted life history interviews with 150 mostly Mexican-origin illegal young adults – approximately equal numbers of men and women – who had been brought to the U.S. before age 12. The respondents lived in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and were 20 to 34 years old. His results showed, “A survey of life trajectories of undocumented young adults raised and educated in America shows that they end up with the same labor jobs as their parents, working in construction, restaurants, cleaning and childcare services.”  The study also reported that, “College experience didn't help the respondents broaden their job options. Once they left school, they faced the same narrow range of jobs as their parents and high school peers who did not go to college. None of the 22 respondents who had graduated from four-year universities, or the nine who held graduate degrees, was able to legally pursue their chosen careers.” 

(4)  So Illinois is helping illegal immigrants obtain a higher education who, because of their illegal status, cannot get the type of jobs their college degree would allow.

HOW IS THIS FULFILLING THE AMERICAN DREAM?