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Opponents of immigration reform have estimated that the DREAM Act would cost taxpayers $6.2 billion a year and "crowd out" U.S. students in the classroom.  The DREAM Act would give illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military a path to legal immigration status in the U.S.  The DREAM Act would give about 2 million young immigrants brought to the United States before the age of 16 a chance to become legal residents.  Critics of granting citizenship to these immigrants refer to the so-called “Birthright Citizenship” as merely granting lawful status to immigrants who should be deported.

A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies claims the DREAM Act would erode educational opportunities available to U.S. citizens.  The report, "Estimating the Impact of the DREAM Act," comes as Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, has requested that the Congressional Budget Office estimate the legislation's cost before Congress votes on the bill.  King has accused Senate Democrats of hiding the true cost of the DREAM Act.  King claims that an analysis, kept by Democrats, shows the legislation will cost more than $20 billion.  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano refuted King’s assertions and noted that the Congressional Budget Office scored the current version of the bill pending in the House as cost-neutral.  "The cost argument really doesn't hold water anymore," she said during a recent conference call.

The Center for Immigration Studies asserts that its $6.2 billion estimate is conservative and does not include the "modest" number of illegal immigrants who would attend private institutions. The assumption then is that the total costs would be significantly higher, if private and state colleges and universities are considered.  The report does assume that most illegal immigrants would attend state universities and community colleges, where both funds and student slots are limited.  Referring to state institutions, the director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Steven Camarota, stated: "These institutions where most of these kids can be expected to enroll are in dire straits."  Camarota wrote the report for the Center for Immigration Studies.  Camarota’s Report calculates that 1.03 million illegal immigrants will enroll in public institutions and receive taxpayer-funded tuition assistance of $6,000 annually.  This is how Camarota calculated his estimated costs of $6.2 billion year.  Camarota’s calculates do not include other forms of financial assistance that students might receive, such as private scholarships, grants and job-based assistance.

Camarota’s critics and supporters of the DREAM Act claim the report is misleading and lacks evidence supporting its predictions.  Wendy Sefsaf, a spokeswoman for the Immigration Policy Center, said Camarota’s report factors the costs without the benefits or factors tending to mitigate the costs. “The CIS's cynical mischaracterization of the DREAM Act is not only inaccurate, but hypocritical as well," she said in a statement. "CIS frequently laments that so many immigrants to the United States have low levels of education, yet opposes a measure that would allow some of these immigrants to become more educated."

Sefsaf also counters that Camarota’s report fails to calculate the costs of not passing the DREAM Act into law.  Estimates from the Center for American Progress predict that it would cost $48.6 billion to deport more than 2 million illegal immigrants who were raised in the U.S.  "The U.S. economy doesn't need more deportations; it needs more college graduates," Safsay said.  She and other supporters of the DREAM Act cite a Georgetown University report showing America needs 22 million new college degree graduates by 2018 to stay globally competitive.  Current estimates show America falling short of that goal by at least 3 million degree graduates yearly.  College graduates who could be granted citizenship under the DREAM Act could fill that gap.  When pressed, Camarota suggests that his opposition to the DREAM Act is not the naturalization of immigrants but that the legislation will be costly and is not funded.  "I said if the act does not want any crowding out effect, then Congress has to provide money to community colleges and state universities," Camarota said.

Senate Democrats are trying to find 60 votes, which are necessary to force a vote in the Senate.  Republicans are stalling on the vote until Congress votes on extending the Bush-era tax cuts for all households.  Democrats are trying to force a vote on limiting the Bush-era tax cuts to families making less than $250,000 per year.  Republicans also oppose the law, because they fear the DREAM Act would constitute a "mass amnesty," allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition at public universities and is a "magnet for fraud."  They fear that many illegal immigrants will submit false claims and documents showing they arrived in the U.S. before age 16.