Harry Reid: DREAM Act To Get Vote On Senate Floor

[Tx4obama]

Source: Huffington Post

The DREAM Act will get a vote on the Senate floor next week, a last shot before the November elections to appease Latino voters who are furious that President Obama has not followed through on his pledge to make comprehensive immigration reform a priority.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon that the immigration reform proposal would come up as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. A Reid aide said that such a vote was likely to come on Tuesday of next week.

The defense bill also includes a gradual repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. There will be a floor vote on an amendment to strip the repeal out of the bill, though Democrats expect to have enough votes to defeat it.

The DREAM Act is far from comprehensive, but has strong backing in the Latino and immigrant rights community. It creates a conditional pathway to citizenship for undocumented children, and requires either military service or a college degree. Advocates see the DREAM Act as a major step toward comprehensive reform that would create a pathway to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/14/dream-act-to-get-vote-on-_n_716698.html

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And here's a link to an article on CNN regarding the issue:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/14/reid-adds-controversial-immigration-measure-to-defense-bill/

[kpete]

1. Reid: DREAM Act Will be Added to Defense Authorization Bill

Source: Washington Independent

Reid: DREAM Act Will be Added to Defense Authorization Bill
By Elise Foley 9/14/10 4:15 PM

Good news for DREAM Act supporters: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced today the act will be added as an amendment to the defense authorization bill. The bill would provide paths to citizenship for some undocumented students who came to the U.S. as children.

It’s been a long time coming for the DREAM Act, which was first proposed in 2001. It went up for a vote once, in 2007, but was eight votes short of overcoming a filibuster. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the original sponsors, introduced the bill in this session in March 2009.

Reid had previously expressed doubt that he could find the votes to pass the act, but at a stakeout today seemed confident it could pass as part of the defense authorization bill.

“When that passes, millions of children will be able to get the education they need to contribute to our economy,” he said. “Boys and girls who come here before they turn 16 and have been here for five years — kids who grew up as Americans — should be able get their green card after go to college or serve in the military.”

Read more: http://washingtonindependent.com/97398/reid-dream-act-will-be-added-to-defense-authorization-bill

[anthroguy101]

2. HOORAY! nt

[Karenina]

3. OLE! Fast-track 'em into the military!

Even so, it is a step forward...

[USArmyParatrooper]

4. So horrible they're given that choice!

[Karenina]

7. I don't object to it. Not at all.

It will be their choice.

[USArmyParatrooper]

8. My apologies for misinterpreting your post n/t

[earthside]

5. A gift to Repuglicans in Colorado.

And the Tancredo gubernatorial campaign.

Whether this passes or not, this will only put even more reactionary energy into the Repuglican-Tea Party campaigns in Colorado.

And, Hispanics just don't vote as heavily in mid-term elections ... so, this doesn't help Democrats in this state, in my opinion.

[Tx4obama]

6. Getting the DREAM Act passed was one of Obama's campaign promises.

I really don't think Obama cares what the republicans think.
Obama is trying to keep as many of his promises that he can,
especially the ones that he made to kids/students.

[David__77]

10. We have to think longer term.

Please remember that the electoral landscape will be much more favorable with each passing cycle from a basic demographic perspective. We may have setbacks, but we need to incorporate these would-be citizens into a progressive governing coalition.

[Unvanguard]

19. The DREAM Act is a basic issue of social justice.

It is worth some political cost. And helping Tom Tancredo draw Republicans away from the Republican candidate is not a bad thing.

[pampango]

22. Anything progressive is a "gift" to repubs and teabaggers.

Health care reform: Obamacare and big government spending. Financial reform: socialism. Immigration reform: amnesty and the Mexicans are coming. Anything Democrats do is going to be used by repubs to fire up their base.

You may be right about the political implications of this in Colorado, but I sure wouldn't want to avoid progressive legislation just because it will rile up some right wingers.

[grantcart]

26. A Tancredo gubernatorial campaign is a gift to Democrats

The Tea Party will over play their hand on this one and independents will not be impressed with hostility of people who want to join the military.


Also this will add not one single ounce of energy to the Tea Party they got all worked up about a Black President, this bill will not motivate a single person to move against the President who is not against it.

It will help motivate Hispanics will turn out in Ca, NM, AZ, TX and Florida. Even more important it helps cement the relationship.


Studies have shown that if you can get someone to vote for the same party 3 elections in a row that the liklihood of them staying with that party the rest of their life is very high. The Republicans are throwing away the Hispanic vote for a generation.

[MikeW]

9. what about the DREAM ACT for US STUDENTS

that would like to go to college but cant afford it?

hmmm .... seems like more of not taking care of our own.

Kind of like outsourcing .. give jobs to anyone else but an American citizen.

Wait that'll be next ... well call it "the DREAM EMPLOYMENT ACT" = dont hire Americans

[leveymg]

14. Wouldn't you be happier at FR?

Jobs and legalization are two separate issues. Deporting a bunch of Hispanic teenagers who've been here most of their lives won't pay for college for you or anyone you know. The only jobs that deportations create is for beefy guys in black sneakers who work for ICE and pull a federal paycheck and benefits. Talk about a jobs program!

It's just an accident of birth that ICE isn't going to knock on your door at 5am tomorrow morning.

[MikeW]

15. not at all

But you'd be happier if the country didnt have border prob.

I tend to think of Americans first .. you know the unemployed Americans, Poor Americans, American kids that

the government WONT pay for college.

We are a great country ... we do LOTS of things for others due to our generosity.

That is generosity to others all EXCEPT AMERICANS.

When AMERICANS have homes, jobs and education free from our Government then you can talk to me about what is right and wrong.

[leveymg]

16. Which gov't promised you a free home, job and higher education because you're a citizen? What are

you, Swedish? Jeeze, even the Russians and Chinese don't guarantee those things, anymore. Nor do the Swedes.

I kinda like the idea, myself, but don't think its coming to America any time soon. Except the military. The only truly socialized sector of the American society is the military, which also isn't as All-American as you may think. The foreign-born have been getting their "green cards" and citizenship through military service for six decades, so even the DREAM Act really isn't anything new.

[MikeW]

17. so your comfortable with not helping Americans first

I mean hell its only our country, our government and our tax dollars.

Why should an American expect anything at all from their government I mean really:

Jobs
Housing
Health Care
Education
Social Security

But yes please do make sure non US citizens get anything they need.

"Merikans just need to pull themselves up by their boot straps."

[Unvanguard]

20. The DREAM Act IS for US students. n/t

[pampango]

21. What are you talking about? It doesn't pay for their education. It just gives some of them

"the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency". This only applies to illegal immigrants who were brought here as minor children by their families, not their parents and not individuals who came here as adults.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DREAM_Act

How is that going to affect "US STUDENTS that would like to go to college but cant afford it?"

"seems like more of not taking care of our own" - "Our own" already have the permanent right to be here since they are citizens. Giving "them" (as opposed to "us") the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency hardly hurts US students. Keeping "them" illegal and marginalized hardly makes our society stronger unless you think that large groups of marginalized people are good for society.

"Them" becoming more productive members of our society is better for "us" than for "them" to remain marginalized and unproductive.

[entanglement]

25. Come, come by now you should know better than trying to inject facts into an immigration discussion

;)
I really admire your persistence. I gave up on it long ago out of sheer frustration. I find trying to educate people whose world-view is right-wing, ignorant, dogmatic and zero-sum utterly exhausting and thankless. I could swear that some of these posts are interchangeable with others I've read over a period of ten years (by different people on different message boards), down to the thinly-veiled race codewords. '"Those" people shouldn't get a "free-ride" at our (white people, of course) expense, let's take of "our-own" instead of "giving away" "freebies" to "others"'. Mind, those are the more polite types.

[Onlooker]

11. The Dems are motivating their base ...

... and forcing the Republicans into awkward positions. Should they vote against defense authorization in order to deny those who serve as soldiers and pursue higher education the chance to get their card. It's not citizenship.

[EFerrari]

12. That's possibly the best chance it has to pass. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

13. Sounds good.

[pampango]

18. That is great news. n/t

[getthefacts]

23. The only way this is going to pass is

if the calls of supporters come in. In the past, when they tried to pass comprehensive reform, the lines were so busy they went down. I will make my call tomorrow, to Senator Brown, since I'm in Mass. It would be great if you could too.

[David Zephyr]

24. Wonderful news on all accounts.

Excellent.

[Green_Lantern]

27. I really think we have to be careful how we sell this bill..

I've heard conservatives talk about all the benefits of the DREAM Act for illegal immigrants. They leave out the military and college requirements. They also don't mention the exclusion from getting Pell Grants.

Mentioning benefits without requirements will make many voters oppose this.

[totodeinhere]

28. Does anyone know if they think they have 60 votes to pass this?

The GOP will certainly filibuster it.

[pampango]

29. I don't see how, but who knows. McCain cosponsored the Act in 2003, 2005 and 2007, but

now he won't even cast a vote for it, so I imagine all the repubs are in opposition. Even if one or two of them break ranks, there may be Blue Dogs that support the filibuster. I'd say the odds are against us on this, but it may be good to force all 41 repubs to vote against the Act.

[Francesca9]

30. How stupid do they think Latinos are?

A vote on a bill that cannot pass that produces no benefits?

Why will Latinos celebrate nothing?

Now if the PASS the bill, THEN they this will work - but it won't pass.