Washington Post
President Obama has just opened a floodgate of opportunity for young
illegal immigrants in the United States, but could it squeeze the
aspirations of legal Americans in the process?
Across the nation Friday, immigrant advocates and Hispanic
youth groups hailed Obama’s decision to offer legal status to some
undocumented immigrants under 30 as a watershed in U.S. immigration
history and a long-sought victory for ambitious youths denied a chance
to realize the American dream.
“I thank God for this day. It has changed my whole life,” Jorge
Acuna, 19, a college student in Silver Spring who came to the United
States with his family as a child, told a cheering crowd outside the
White House on Friday afternoon, minutes after Obama announced the new
policy. Last spring, the community college student was nearly deported
to his native Colombia. Now, under the amnesty, he will be able to
pursue his degree in engineering.
But opponents of illegal
immigration warned that the policy could create significant new
competition for jobs and university slots at a time of nationwide
recession and numerous states’ efforts to curb public spending.
“I
see a tidal wave coming,” said Brad Botwin, president of Help Save
Maryland, a group that opposes legalization for undocumented immigrants.
“Half of our college graduates today can’t find jobs, and the
unemployment rate for high-school-aged Americans is extremely high. This
is unfair to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who are out there
struggling to get ahead.”-[Full Article]
