Thursday, September 27, 2007

Menendez is wrong on "The Dream Act"

In a recent article printed in The Record regarding the Dream Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors), Charles Goldstein executive Director of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network is quoted as saying, "America succeeds when we integrate immigrant communities."

He is right as long as it refers to legal immigration. When we integrate illegal immigrant communities at the expense of the legal citizens of this country, we have a problem.

The DREAM Act, would grant legal status to possibly tens of thousands of illegal immigrant youth who entered the United States before the age of 16, have lived here at least five years and graduated from a U.S. high school.

Another paragraph states, “Bills in the New Jersey legislature that would allow undocumented high school graduates to attend college at in-state (reduced) tuition rates have languished for years. So, unable to pay out-of-state fees, many forgo four-year colleges or try to scrape together money for county community colleges.” Aren't our own children in the same predicament?

There are an estimated 1,200 undocumented (illegal) high school graduates in New Jersey who would probably apply to public colleges each year if they could pay in-state tuition. I would think that statement would also apply to the taxpaying families of our state who cannot afford the high tuition costs of colleges, caused by Democrat education cuts to higher education.

States offer college scholarships and reduced in-state tuition to illegal aliens who also receive free public education. An estimated 11.7 percent of the K-12 public school students in New Jersey are children of illegal aliens.

When our own citizens pay more to attend our colleges and secondary schools than the illegals that are here, there is a definite problem with our system. Especially when property taxes are constantly going up due to increased education costs.

A majority of Americans (54%) oppose the current U.S. law that grants automatic citizenship to children of illegal aliens born in the United States, 63% opposes automatic citizenship.

What the article does not mention as I have stated in another post, is that what is wrong with this bill is that there is no upper age limit with no burden of proof placed on the applicant. A 50-year-old illegal immigrant can walk into the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office and provide a sworn statement that he has been in the United States before he or she was here before they were 16.

If passed it would grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and dramatically increase the importation of foreign workers at a time 10 million Americans are looking for jobs and cannot find employment. This would open the door for every illegal alien falsely claiming amnesty.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. says, "By allowing these students, who would be otherwise qualified, to attend college or serve in our military, we provide them with the opportunity to become exemplary citizens and achieve the American dream." Mr. Menendez we also have immigrant families that are legal, and minorities that warrant those same opportunities granted to illegals.

If I understand that statement, an illegal has a choice to either attend college at a reduced rate, or join the military. That is some choice.

Our own children are having a hard time of achieving the American dream with all of the student debt they are strapped with after graduation.

Then we have bleeding heart Tamara Morales, vice president of Casa Puebla-New Jersey, a Passaic-based non-profit group that serves the immigrant community. "There are so many undocumented (illegal) kids, who have great potential, but with no real options for the future, they end up just working low-skill jobs or they get married young."

Huh, can you explain that? Either they work at a low-skill job, and if not they will get married at a young age.

Unless I am missing something, I cannot fathom why it is part of the Department of Defense appropriations bill.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has been pushing to get it included in a defense appropriations bill pending in the Senate. The Senate may vote on the defense bill within the next week.

I agree with Gayle Kesselman (co-chairwoman of New Jersey Citizens for Immigration Control) when she says "The American people have made clear that they don't want a form of amnesty, people who crash the line and come into our country illegally shouldn't get special privileges or financial breaks.”

Undocumented means illegal, enough of being politically correct already.

Joe Sinagra
NJ 18th District
Assembly Candidate

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good words.