INDIANAPOLIS — A battle over Arizona-style immigration enforcement is coming to the Indiana Statehouse this week.
Supporters of the crackdown say states need to do something about illegal immigration if the federal government isn't going to tackle the issue. Opponents say what's being offered in state legislatures would be expensive to enforce while not doing much to solve the problem.
Analyzing The Votes In Our Defeating the DREAM Act Amnesty in Senate Today
By Roy Beck, Saturday, December 18, 2010, 12:39 PM EST - posted on NumbersUSA
Our victory was closer than it looked.
I told our Web Editor Chris Chmielenski after the vote this morning that my body felt like it does when I just missed a terrible car accident in which nothing bad happened at all but I can clearly see how close I came to being killed.
Yes, the PRO-amnesty folks were 5 votes short of the 60 needed. But I can pick several NO votes that could've gone the other way. And if any two had done so -- especially if they had done so a couple of weeks ago -- at least three other votes would have gone with them and we would have lost.
Fifteen years after she testified as the chair of President Clinton's immigration reform commission, Barbara Jordan's recommendations for a credible immigration policy will finally get the serious consideration they deserve.
Because the DREAM Act proposed by Congress would provide amnesty to the children of illegal immigrants, displace American citizens in the limited college classrooms throughout our country and give these "conditional non-immigrants" an opportunity for federal financial aid, The American Legion announced today it opposes passage of the bill.
"By resolution, our membership is opposed to illegal immigration into this country," said Jimmie Foster, the Legion's national commander. "We don't understand why so many members of Congress feel compelled to provide for amnesty for a portion of illegal immigrants before securing our borders and tackling the broken immigration system."
This Memorandum examines the costs and likely impact of the DREAM Act currently being considered by Congress. The act offers permanent legal status to illegal immigrants up to age 35 who arrived in the United States before age 16 provided they complete two years of college. Under the act, beneficiaries would receive in-state tuition. Given the low income of illegal immigrants, most can be expected to attend state schools, with a cost to taxpayers in the billions of dollars. As both funds and slots are limited at state universities and community colleges, the act may reduce the educational opportunities available to U.S. citizens.
