Immigration Newsletter

Monday, December 20, 2010

A DREAM deferred again...

The US Senate again failed to reach cloture on a vote for the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a bill that would allow students who came to this country as children but who do not have a valid immigration status to gain a conditional legal status if they achieve in high school and get accepted to college or the US military.

It is now clear that Maine Senators Snowe (R) and Collins (R) would rather stifle the future of thousands of young people who were brought to this country as children and raised here - than cross their party leadership. Another heroic failure to stand up for those who cannot vote. So another graduating class will fail to reach its potential through no fault of their own -- and we as a country will stubbornly fall farther behind our EU, Chinese and Indian competitors in the race to educate our people and prepare for the economic reality of the new century.

There were a handful of DINOs who also voted against the DREAM Act (enough to pass the bill if they had the will) but only two Republicans voted for the measure. It appears after all that this was a fait acompli and simply a show vote by both sides to try to drum up support from the various interest groups for the next election. The Democrats could have passed the measure if they voted in unison - but they would rather try to rally the Latino vote next time around. The Republicans could have taken the issue out of play by allowing a few more "moderates" to break ranks but they would rather rally and raise money from the T-Party and others with Nativist tendencies.

What a cynical waste of young people's aspirations to do well for themselves and the only country they call home -- all for petty political pandering. Nicely done Senators!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Napolitano Drums for Dream Act - NYTimes.com

Napolitano Drums for Dream Act - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Julia Preston writes:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called on Congress on Thursday to pass a bill granting legal status to thousands of illegal immigrant students, saying it would help immigration authorities focus their resources on deporting dangerous criminals. In a telephone call organized by the White House, Ms. Napolitano told reporters that the students who would benefit “have no fault for being here in the United States” because they were brought here as children. “No one who poses a threat to public safety will be able to adjust their immigration status,” she said, under a revised version of the bill, known as the Dream Act, which was introduced Tuesday. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a Republican who is a leading opponent, said he would resist it “with every strength and every ability that I have.”

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Trying to get anything worthwhile through Congress these days seems like a futile gesture. Perhaps they should call it the DREAM ON Act. Still, until the Dems. inevitable next "epic fail" I will hold out a modicum of hope.