Washington to gain billions with DREAM Act

If illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children were given legal status, their improved access to college and better jobs would add $5.6 billion to Washington’s economy and create 23,000 jobs by 2030, according to according to a new report.

The Center for American Progress, which some consider to be “left-leaning” organization even though they say their work is non-partisan, is behind a major new study.

It finds that passage of the DREAM Act would be a significant boost to every state’s fiscal health.

Washington is one of 12 states with the greatest economic impact, according to their research.

The bill would grant a pathway to legal status to an estimated 40,000 eligible youth in Washington who were brought here at a young age.

Senator Patty Murray is among those in the Washington delegation who support the DREAM Act legislation. DREAM is an acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors.

When the DREAM Act was first introduced in 2001, it was a bipartisan effort sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, and Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican representing Utah.

It has since become more partisan. The House of Representatives passed it in 2010 with minimal GOP support, and it failed in the Senate when only three Republicans voted for it.

President Obama has supported the bill and created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that does not grant legal residency or U.S. citizenship but gives young illegal immigrants deferred deportations and work permits for two years.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that he would veto the current version of the DREAM Act if it came before him but that he supports legalizing young illegal immigrants who have served in the military.

AP Photo/Jason Redmond file photo