Silver pushes ‘no compromise’ on DREAM Act
Jimmy Vielkind
ALBANY—Democrats who dominate the Assembly will pass a measure granting undocumented immigrants access to New York's tuition assistance programs, they said at a press conference, laying another priority for progressive groups on the doorstep of the State Senate.
Flanked by members, the president of the AFL-CIO and several immigrants who refer themselves as “dreamers,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the measure—called the DREAM Act—was one of human dignity, and in keeping with New York's traditions of welcoming immigrants.
“The state of New York cannot afford to waste bright, creative young minds,” said Silver, a Democrat from Lower Manhattan. He said there are thousands of young people who “know no other homeland” and “are as American in character as any other young person living in this country today.”
“How do we, as a state built by immigrants, justify turning our backs on the next generation?” he asked.
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