The energy, excitement and raw emotion was undeniable as an estimated 1,000 “dreamers” showed up at CASA de Maryland’s Langley Park center Wednesday for its inaugural application clinic, kicking off President Obama’s new deferred deportation program.
The new federal policy – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — which bypassed Congress and was approved by executive order, would grant two-year deportation reprieves to up to 1.7 million eligible illegal immigrants in the U.S. aged 15 to 30. Applicants could also qualify for employment authorization.
Gustavo Torres, Casa’s executive director, said in total he expects to sign up 10,000 “dreamers,” of which 80% to 90% he believed would go on to college. “The great majority of dreamers are high school students,” Torres said. “Eighty to ninety percent of them will go on to college. Those kids, they are our future. That was our dream.”
Many more than legislature estimated
Torres’ estimate is a far cry from the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) Dream Act estimate of 366students in 2011, when in-state tuition for illegal immigrants was approved by the General Assembly. The DLS fiscal note estimated taxpayer subsidies amount to about $2,000 per student for in-state, community college students.
If the actual figure is 8,000 rather than 366 immigrant students benefiting from in-state tuition, the cost of the program is potentially tens of millions more than initially estimated.
A petition drive put the new law allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition in Maryland on the Nov. 6 ballot for voters to decide in a statewide referendum.
While endless dreamers waited outside to receive their admittance ticket, Oswaldo Ruiz, a 19-year Brentwood man, was inside and the first to fill out a deferred action application. Ruiz, a recent graduate and ROTC student at Bladensburg High School, said he was ready to pursue his degree.
“I was thinking to go to college, but I was not able to because of my Social Security,” Ruiz said while taking a break to show off his USA t-shirt and ROTC trophy. “Oh wow, I’m so excited now. When I look at those people who have helped me, I am motivated to get my degree. I want to do the same thing for this country too.”
Other dreamers were equally excited outside, despite the hours it would take to wait to fill out their paperwork with CASA’s legal and volunteer staff.
“We are just so happy,” said 22-year-old Karla Ramirez of Riverdale. “We are very excited to be here. We have a green light. Of course we are going to college now. We just can’t wait to be professional.”
Ramirez’s friend, Luis Tobar, 22, of Bladensburg, shared her enthusiasm. “We’re finally stepping out of the shadows. We aren’t afraid now. We were before.”
Complaints about new immigration policy
While the dreamers were busy dreaming, one opponent of illegal immigration was sounding off about the new measure.
Brad Botwin, executive director of Help Save Maryland, an anti-illegal immigrant advocacy group, heaped criticism and complaints on the new policy.
“Let the amnesty, fraud and abuse begin,” Botwin said. “I just love seeing our state and local tax dollars at work at CASA de Maryland.”
Casa receives an estimated $2.8 million annually from federal, state and local government funding, according to Torres. Their annual budget is $7 million.
“Even worse than the two-year amnesty, is the two-year work permit,” Botwin continued. CORRECTION “With 8.3% U.S. unemployment, all you’re really doing is potentially adding another two million legal workers illegal immigrants to the unemployment figures. The application fee for the program is $465, that’s about a one-month unemployment payment. [The other] eleven months are going to be paid for by you and me.”
(To receive unemployment benefits, applicants need to have previous employment to qualify.)
By Glynis Kazanjian
fletcher r. hall says
Just like an energy policy, this nation really has no immigration policy. What a crime. Again, Congress continues to fail, and the President can only get an “immigration policy” by ay Executive Order. This is NOT the wat to address one of the longest and most perplexing problems facing our nation.
We are a nation of immigrants. and getting more so, each year.
A pox on both houses of government and poolitical parties in Washington for NOTaddressing this matter, NOW.
S Pennington says
I commute 4 hours a day and have to file 4 different tax returns so that these people, here illegally, can now live on government handouts.
We don’t have enough jobs for the people who were born and raised here in the US. And these people probably are getting student loans and grants (ie free money) too, all so they can take jobs which should be filled by the people I grew up with.
Hardly seems right, does it?
Gren Whitman says
Pennington’s complaint is a reminder that the nativist Know-Nothing Party of the 1840s survives, still angry that foreigners are permitted to set foot in America, let alone remain.
The young “Dreamers” I saw on the news yesterday speak English well, dress appropriately, exhibit education, and are looking for nothing more than America promises — work, a place to live, a family, and a future — certainly not anyone Mr. Pennington needs to support!
John Rolfe says
I don’t think the problem is with “Foreigners” It is with people who come to this country ILLEGALLY. All I ask for from “foreigners” is to come through the process of being here legally.
Paul Carter says
Whitman used “nativist,” as if it were a powerful weapon to demonize those of us who oppose amnesty of any kind to any illegal aliens. Obviously he didn’t bother to check the meaning of “nativist” in a dictionary. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s first definition is, “a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants.” What Mr. Whitman is wrong with putting American citizens’ interests ahead of those of immigrants particularly those of illegal aliens? Please explain why you aren’t complaining that 7 million illegal aliens have non-farm, payroll jobs while 20+ million American citizens who want a full-time job but can’t find one.
What is so dog gone special about immigrants, legal and illegal, that their interests should come before the interests of American citizens? Yes, I’m a nativist and proud of it! The real question is why are you?