The Obama administration has been remarkably indecisive on the subject of immigration. On one hand, the president talks a lot about his support for a bill. On the other hand, the Obama administration has also deported a record number of illegal immigrants. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency estimates that 400,000 people will be deported in 2010, 25 percent more than were deported in 2007 under President Bush.
DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) would offer a path to legalization for undocumented college students or soldiers in the military who came to the United States as children (under 15 years old) and have lived here for at least five years. DREAM act will allow 2.1 million illegal immigrants under the age of 35 to legally remain in the country.
But over the years, the DREAM Act has been politically divisive. Beyond this, politicians have to consider public opinion. A more compassionate approach to immigration enforcement would benefit everyone in the United States. According to a recent study by the Center for American Progress, progressive immigration reform would yield at least $1.5 trillion in cumulative U.S. gross domestic product over the next 10 years.
