Underside of the DREAM ACT

This post has been circulating around Latino academia the past few days. Now that the in-state tuition clause is definitely extracted from senate bill this warning does not seem so strange...

What is interesting is that this comment by Mariscal came several days before any media news began to circulate about the in-state tuition being dropped.

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FROM Professor JORGE MARISCAL

Project YANO has been warning for several years about the stealth military recruiting component of the DREAM Act. Nobody wanted to hear about it. Now the connections with the Pentagon are becoming crystal clear. Check out Senator Durbin's remarks from the Congressional Record of last July (and today he agreed to drop the in-state tuition clause for the college option thereby eliminating the college option for thousands of undocs). Apparently, the Pentagon is pushing hard for the amendment (despite opposition from Homeland Security). It could be voted on tomorrow.


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Durbin:

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.

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.

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.