Bob McCarty Writes

Illegal Immigration Alert: It’s BAAAAACK! (Cross-posted from Common Sense America.)

What do our elected officials do when they don’t get their way on the issue of amnesty for illegal aliens? They simply piecemeal the amnesty bill and try to sneak it into other bills. They think we won’t notice.

Yeah, right!

This week, The Dream Act will rear its ugly head as Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) tries to insert it into our Defense Authorization Bill. On Friday, Durbin stated:

What I tried to do several years ago was to write a law to take into consideration these young people. It is called the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act was a part of this comprehensive immigration reform bill. Here is what it says: If you came to the United States before the age of 16, if you have lived in this country for at least 5 years, if you graduate from high school, and then if you will complete either 2 years of college or 2 years of service in the military, we will give you an opportunity for legal status in America.

Durbin announced that he would be offering the Dream Act as an amendment this week:

On the floor of the Senate, when we return next week, we will resume consideration of the Defense authorization bill. It turns out that many in the Department of Defense believe, as I do, that the DREAM Act is an important part of making certain we have talented young men and women ready to serve in our military. I have spoken to people at the Department of Defense who support the idea of the DREAM Act. I think we ought to include it in the Defense authorization bill. I hope to have that opportunity. [snip]

I hope when we return to the Defense authorization bill we can make the DREAM Act part of that bill. Certainly, it is going to help our defense and help our military. I think it is going to help America even beyond that. [snip]

Mr. President, as I said, I rise to speak about legislation known as the DREAM Act, which I hope to offer as an amendment to the Defense authorization bill.

And Durbin goes on to say how much Americans need these illegal aliens – our military will crumble without them, ahem, well, at least according to Durbin:

Some people might ask why the Senate should revisit immigration again and whether an immigration amendment should be included in the Defense authorization bill. The answer is simple: The DREAM Act would address a very serious recruitment crisis that faces our military.

Under the DREAM Act, tens of thousands of well-qualified potential recruits would become eligible for military service for the first time. They are eager to serve in the Armed Forces during a time of war. And under the DREAM Act they would have a very strong incentive to enlist because it would give them a path to permanent legal status.

Trying to hide amnesty for illegal aliens in the Defense Authorization bill by pretending that it is necessary for our Department of Defense and our military is a bunch of hooey and we all know it.

And, of course, Durbin then goes into a chorus of “they are only here to do the job that Americans won’t do” as he cites a survey that compares Hispanics to Caucasians:

The DREAM Act doesn’t mandate military service. A student who is otherwise eligible could earn legal status by attending college. It would be inconsistent with the spirit our volunteer military to force young people to enlist as a condition for obtaining legal status.

But the DREAM Act creates a strong incentive for military service. And many DREAM Act kids come from a demographic group that is already predisposed towards military service. A 2004 survey by the Rand Corporation found that 45 percent of Hispanic males and 31 percent of Hispanic females between ages 16 and 21 were very likely to serve in the Armed Forces, compared to 24 percent of White men and 10 percent of White women.

Ok, that’s Dick Durbin’s spin on the Dream Act but let’s get a few thoughts from a person that actually possesses a bit of sanity and wisdom…

Kris Kobach wrote an article for The Heritage Foundation after the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611) was passed by the U.S. Sen­ate about this amendment in which he explains that the Dream Act has less to do with our military and a whole lot to do with a general amnesty:

The DREAM Act is a nightmare. It repeals a 1996 federal law that prohibits any state from offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens unless the state also offers in-state tuition rates to all U.S. citizens. On top of that, the DREAM Act offers a separate amnesty to illegal-alien students.

It also gives amnesty to ten states that openly violate Federal law, Kobach writes:

Events of the past 10 years illustrate how the DREAM Act would undermine the rule of law. In September 1996, Congress passed the landmark Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). Led by Lamar Smith (R-TX) in the House of Representatives and Alan Simpson (R-WY) in the Senate, Congress significantly tougened the nation’s immigration laws. To his credit, President Bill Clinton signed the bill into law.

Open-borders advocates in some states — most notably California — had already raised the possi­bility of offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens who attend public universities. To prevent such a development, the IIRIRA’s sponsors inserted a clearly worded provision that prohibited any state from doing so unless it provided the same discounted tuition to all U.S. citizens:

“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State (or a political subdivision) for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident.”

Members of Congress reasoned that no state would be interested in giving up the extra revenue from out-of-state students, so this provision would ensure that illegal aliens would not be rewarded with a taxpayer-subsidized college education. The IIRIRA’s proponents never imagined that some states might simply disobey federal law.

But, according to Kobach, that didn’t stop some of the states:

The majority of state legislatures had the good sense to reject the idea, but eight states followed the examples of California and Texas, including some states in the heart of “red” America. Today, the 10 states that offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens are California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

In most of these states, the law was passed under cover of darkness because public opinion was strongly against subsidizing the college education of illegal aliens at taxpayer expense. The governors even declined to hold press conferences or signing ceremonies heralding the new laws.

Under the “cover of darkness” – sound familiar? What our constituents don’t know, won’t hurt us … or so they think.

But in-state tuition isn’t the only ‘gift’ in the Dream Act that Koback found:

This amnesty opens a wide path to citizenship for any alien who entered the country before the age of 16 and has been in the country for at least five years. As with the rest of the Senate bill, the guiding notion seems to be “The longer you have violated federal law, the better.”

Beyond that, all the alien needs is a high school diploma or a GED earned in the United States. Alternatively, he need only persuade an institution of higher education in the United States — any com­munity college, technical school, or college — to admit him.

The DREAM Act abandons any pretense of “tem­porary status” for the illegal aliens who apply. Instead, all amnesty recipients are awarded lawful permanent resident (green card) status. The only caveat is that the alien’s status is considered “conditional” for the first six years. To move on to the nor­mal green card, the alien need only obtain a degree from any institution of higher education, complete two years toward a bachelor’s degree, or show that doing so would present a hardship to himself or his family members. Of course, an alien with a normal green card can bring in family members and seek citizenship.

Furthermore, the DREAM Act makes it absurdly easy for just about any illegal alien — even one who does not qualify for the amnesty — to evade the law. According to Section 624(f), once an alien files an application — any application, no matter how ridic­ulous — the federal government is prohibited from deporting him. Moreover, with few exceptions, fed­eral officers are prohibited from either using infor­mation from the application to deport the alien or sharing that information with another federal agency, under threat of up to $10,000 fine.

Thus, an alien’s admission that he has violated federal immigration law cannot be used against him — even if he never had any chance of qualifying for the DREAM Act amnesty in the first place. The DREAM Act also makes illegal aliens eligible for various federal student loans and work-study programs.

What part of NO don’t these clowns understand? The American people have angrily tried to shout down amnesty and public benefits to people who illegally enter this country but Durbin and Company continue to try to spend our tax dollars on it anyway.

It is typical for our elected officials to betray us by taking parts of failed legislation and attaching them to legislation that they know will pass.

This has to be stopped now or the amnesty bill we just succeeded in killing will be resurrected and passed – piece-by-piece.

We are going to have to watch these guys like a bunch of two-year-olds. I’ve got to tell you, friends, I sure get tired of babysitting them and I hope we elect some adults in 2008.

CALL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS AND TELL THEM TO VOTE NO FOR THE DURBIN-HAGEL-LUGAR DREAM ACT AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1585!

Your Senators’ phone numbers are online here.

Hat tip to Debbie at Right Truth for the gem of a post above that reminds us of who we’re really dealing with when it comes to disingenuous members of the U.S. Senate.

For another reminder of what the so-called immigration-reform efforts of people like Sens. Ted Kennedy and John McCain amount to, click here.

For merchandise bearing a message that President George W. Bush and members of Congress need to hear, click here.