Passing the DREAM Act for Our Economy
SOURCE: AP/Jacquelyn Martin
When I immigrated to Florida at age 10, it was the immigrant students who welcomed and befriended me at South Seminole Middle School
Passing the DREAM Act for Our Economy
SOURCE: AP/Jacquelyn Martin
When I immigrated to Florida at age 10, it was the immigrant students who welcomed and befriended me at South Seminole Middle School. Carlos, Isabel, and a few others took English as a Second Language classes with me, while others whose families had immigrated years earlier and were already well on their way to fluency showed us the ropes in the cafeteria, teaching us not to order “fried potatoes,” but French fries. Years later, some of these friends of mine would learn they were among the estimated 151,000 young Floridians who lack legal status—but not a dream.
This population would start calling themselves DREAMers in 2001 when the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation that would provide a pathway to permanent legal status for approximately 2.1 million undocumented youth currently living in the United States, was first introduced in Congress. Since then my courageous peers have fought for a chance to go to college and be paid fair wages for an honest day’s work. They came close to winning that chance in December 2010, when the DREAM Act passed in the House, but their dream came crashing down when Senate Republicans filibustered the act days later.
We’ve known all along that having Carlos, Isabel, and the 2.1 million other undocumented youths reach their fullest potential in the labor force would be good for the economy. But today we know just how big a boost the DREAM Act would give our economy.
For the nation as a whole, passage of the DREAM Act would add a total of $329 billion to the economy by 2030, support the creation of 1.4 million new jobs, and generate at least $10.2 billion in revenue for the federal government.
Granting legal immigration status to this group of young people—many of whom have grown up in America and are eager to build their own American Dream—would bolster our economy in two ways.
- First, the DREAM Act would provide a strong incentive for them to further their education by requiring applicants to complete high school and some college or military service. Receiving more education would open the doors to better-paying jobs for DREAMers, allowing them to become more productive members of society.
- Second, having legal status itself would allow these young Americans to apply for better jobs, instead of the low-paying jobs that are often available to