DREAM Act Passage Could Generate Trillions For U.S. Economy

A  study from researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles found that passage of the DREAM Act and inclusion of students in U.S. educational and professional institutions could generate between $1.4 and $3.6 trillion (current) dollars in the next 40 years, based on the amount of income these people could generate as professionals.

The study, “No DREAMers Left Behind: The Economic Potential of DREAM Act Beneficiaries” from the North American Integration and Development Center at UCLA, used varied data to analyze for different groups of potential DREAMers and the impact they could have on our economy.

Lead authors Raul Hinojosa Ojeda and Paule Cruz Takash divided DREAMers into four categories: 18-34 year-olds with at least an associate’s degree (plus retroactively eligible adults over age 35), 18-34 year-olds with a high school degree, children under 18 and year-olds 18-34 with a high school degree. then they analyze

Then the authors calculated the cumulative income these people could generate over there working lifetimes, ranging from 825,000 to 2.1 million potential beneficiaries. In either case, military service or education ranging from an Associate’s degree to a doctoral degree, and other professional degrees, would allow beneficiaries to contribute via income and spending power, as well as taxes and investing power, to our economy.