Why the DREAM Act is a bad idea

The debate about the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) over the educational rights of "undocumented" or "illegal" (you can choose your term) individuals living in the U.S. is a case study in knee-jerk political debate. The bill supports the idea that if individuals graduate from high school, are of good moral character and have lived in the U.S. for five consecutive years before the bill passes, they should earn conditional permanent residency. There is also a similar provision for military service. Rational advocates argue that if the bill passes,  undocumented students will be entitled to the same rights as citizen students including in-state tuition to public colleges and universities where they live and work. The "right" of education is extended to these permanent residents of the U.S. Rational opponents reject that claim, arguing that education is a privilege of citizenship and undocumented workers are not citizens. Going to high school, graduating and living here does not entitle students to any form of citizenship rights and is a "back door" to the privileges of citizenship. Of course irrationalists on both sides sling the necessary labels and insults to make cable news and website commentary: Advocates call the other side "racist" and anti-immigrant while opponents call the opposing side "unamerican" and irresponsible communists aiming to bust the deficit, flaunt the law and destroy America. The immigration issue is usually lost in irrationalism. My opposition to the DREAM Act is rational and it comes from the progressive left position. Supporting it simply codifies and legitimates the irresponsible and unethical immigration situation in this county. Even worse, it rewards the private sector exploitation of undocumented workers and transfers the cost to an already overburdened public sector. As landscapers, restaurants, service industries, construction companies and manufacturing companies pay below minimum wage, avoid payroll and other taxes and skirt occupational safety laws and landlords gouge for overpriced rents, the public sector is inundated with more high school and public university students (DREAM Act as an incentive) stressing an already overburdened and financially-devastated public education system. The transfer of costs from the private sector to public sector is exponentially accelerated and a new and nefarious form of corporate welfare created. Taxpayers can now pay to increase the skills of workers who can further the profits of the same exploiting companies. At the same time, ALL our public education students get less and less service and higher tuition and fees leading to greater income inequality and access to higher education. Why not ask these companies to provide educational financing for their undocumented employees?? Yeah right. Long live the left! Extend unethical policy, increase the profits and workers skills of companies who exploit undocumented workers, transfer the financial burden from the private to public sector and tax the middle class to pay for it. Until we have a rational, transparent and fiscally-responsible immigration policy and guest worker program, the left and right will scheme bad policies like the DREAM Act and couch them in such nice acronyms.