Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles has articulated the U.S.
bishops' support for the DREAM Act, a proposal that would grant
citizenship to many children whose parents brought them into the U.S.
illegally.
The Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops'
Committee on Migration, Archbishop Gomez advocated the act's passage in a
Dec. 2 letter to the U.S. Congress.
He described the DREAM act as “a
practical, fair, and compassionate solution for thousands of young
persons” who had not voluntarily broken the law.
“It is important to note that these young people entered the United
States with their parents at a young age,” he wrote, “and therefore did
not enter without inspection on their own volition. We would all do the
same thing in a similar situation.” Many of them, he said, have never
known any country other than the U.S.
The act's full title is the Development, Relief, and Education for
Alien Minors Act. It would allow young people who entered the United
States before the age of 16 to apply for legal permanent residence and
eventual citizenship, as long as they completed two years of higher
education or military service.
The act's main support in Congress comes from Democrats, many of whom
consider it an effective and fair solution to a problem that young
people did not bring on themselves.
However, some Republicans have
warned that the bill would create more incentive for others to enter the
country illegally in the future.
A spokesperson for Senator John McCain (R – Ariz.) has said the 2008
presidential candidate, a former sponsor of the bill, now “opposes the
DREAM Act and believes we must secure our borders first.”
Most
Republicans currently oppose the act, and some have threatened to block
its passage with a filibuster.
President Barack Obama strongly supports
its passage.
Archbishop Gomez called attention to a number of qualifications in
the bill, which differentiate it from the blanket immigration amnesty
some Republicans fear.
He explained that it allows “deserving immigrant youth” to become
permanent residents, provided they meet certain age and circumstance
requirements, have “demonstrated good moral character, have no criminal
record and … have earned their high school diploma.”
The further step of
citizenship would require two years of college or military service.
Given these requirements, the archbishop said, the act's passage was
not only a matter of fairness, but an opportunity for the U.S. to reward
hardworking and motivated young people who could otherwise be forced to
leave.
“Those who would benefit,” he offered, “are talented, intelligent,
and dedicated young persons … They can become some of the future leaders
of our country, provided we are wise enough to provide them the
opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
SIC: CNA/USA