ImmigrationCritics: DREAM Act would cost taxpayers $6.2 billion per year
A group advocating for tighter immigration laws estimates that a hotly debated bill that would give tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military a path to legal status would cost taxpayers $6.2 billion a year and “crowd out” U.S. students in the classroom; the Center for Immigration Studies says its $6.2 billion estimate is conservative and does not include the “modest” number of illegal immigrants expected to attend private institutions; the report assumes that most illegal immigrants would attend state universities and community colleges schools where both funds and slots are limited; critics of the group, however, call the report “misleading” and say it lacks evidence supporting its predictions
One of many pro-DREAM Act demonstrations // Source: worldcorrespondents.com
A group advocating for tighter immigration laws estimates that a hotly debated bill that would give tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military a path to legal status would cost taxpayers $6.2 billion a year and “crowd out” U.S. students in the classroom.
A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies says the DREAM Act, which would give more than two million young immigrants brought to the United States before the age of 16 a chance to become legal residents, could erode the educational opportunities available to U.S. citizens.
The report, “Estimating the Impact of the DREAM Act,” comes as Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), seeks an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office of the legislation’s cost before there’s a vote. King, who issued a letter Wednesday afternoon to CBO, claims Senate Democrats are hiding an analysis that shows the legislation will cost upwards of $20 billion.
DHS secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday the CBO scored the current version of the bill in the House as neutral. “The cost argument really doesn’t hold water anymore,” she said during a conference call.
Fox News reports say that the CIS says its $6.2 billion estimate is conservative and does not include the “modest” number of illegal immigrants expected to attend private institutions. The report assumes that most illegal immigrants would attend state universities and community colleges schools where both funds and slots are limited.
“These institutions where most of these kids can be expected to enroll are in dire straits,” Steven Camarota, director of research at the center who authored the report, told FoxNews.com.
He calculated that 1.03 million illegal immigrants will enroll in public institutions and receive a tuition subsidy from taxpayers of nearly $6,000 for each year of attendance for a total cost of $6.2 billion year — a figure that doesn’t include other forms of financial assistance that may be provided.
The legislation needs to be funded at his baseline estimate of $6.2 billion each year — a move that he says Democrats are avoiding because it would destroy support for the bill.
“Right now it’s an unfunded mandate that would come at the expense of not just taxpayers but kids trying to get into these schools,” he said.
Critics of the group, however, call the report “misleading” and say it lacks evidence supporting its predictions. Wendy Sefsaf, a spokeswoman for the Immigration Policy Center, said CIS
