Burchett/ 3 Senator Stynes

S.R._____

A BILL
To amend the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) to include that every Alien Minor
will be granted citizenship upon meeting set qualifications.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the The Stynes Alien Act of 2015.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) Children are being deported after living their whole life in the United States of America, and therefore essentially
already U.S citizens.
2) Under current law, these young people generally derive their immigration status solely from their parents, and if
their parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, most have no mechanism to obtain legal residency, even if
they have lived most of their lives in the U.S.
3) Children put into immigration detention suffer psychological and developmental issues.
4) About 36 percent of U.S.-born children of immigrants are college graduates5 percent above the national
average.
5) The majority of undocumented immigrants are long-term residents, committed to living in the United States.
6) Nearly half of the undocumented population has minor children, many of them born in the United States.
7) Permitting undocumented immigrants to gain legal status and citizenship would expand economic growth.
8) If undocumented immigrants acquired legal status today and citizenship in five years, the economy would add an
average of 159,000 new jobs per year, and formerly unauthorized workers would pay an additional $144 billion in
federal, state, and local taxes over a 10-year period.
9) The DREAM Act would permit certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for temporary
legal status and to eventually obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if they go to
college or serve in the U.S. military.
10) Under current law, the Border Patrol is required to take child migrants into custody, screen them, and transfer
them to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
11) One of every five children under age 18 living in the United Statesthat is, 14 millionis an immigrant or has
immigrant parents.
12) In 2007, the U.S. minority (non-white) population passed the 100 million mark and now makes up one third of
the U.S. population
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The DREAM Act shall be amended to include that every Alien Minor, will be granted citizenship upon meeting
set qualifications of the DREAM Act which include they must have graduated from a United States high school or
obtained a GED, have good moral character, and pass criminal background checks and reviews. Under the DREAM
Act, most students who came to the U.S. at age 15 or younger at least five years before the date of the bills
enactment and who have maintained good moral character since entering the U.S. would qualify for conditional
permanent resident status upon acceptance to college, graduation from a U.S. high school, or being awarded a GED
in the U.S.. All penalties against Alien Minors due to their parents actions shall henceforth be abolished. Alien
Minors in the United States are eligible to become citizens of the United States of America after meeting the set
qualifications. No Alien Minor shall be denied citizenship if they meet set qualifications.
B) This law shall be enforced and upheld by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Funding for any additional costs due to increase in citizens previously not covered will come directly from the
budget already available by user fees.
C) This law shall go into effect January 1, 2016. This law shall expire on January 1, 2030.