Thread: Secretary of Labor Solis: Rubio's DREAM Act is 'half-cooked'

Solis: Rubio's DREAM Act is 'half-cooked'

politico.com
By BYRON TAU |5/4/12 1:39 PM EDT


(AP Photo)

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis called Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) alternative to the DREAM Act "half-cooked" — noting that it provides no pathway to citizenship.

President Obama made another push Thursday at a Cinco de Mayo event at the White House, calling on Congress to take up the DREAM Act — a bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

"I don't hear any [Republican] members except for Sen. Rubio coming forward — talking about a proposal that's half cooked," Solis said on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports."

Rubio's proposal, not yet a bill, allows the children of illegal immigrants to stay in the country and earn their residency, but it does not provide a pathway to citizenship. Rubio, himself a Cuban-American, is nevertheless the highest profile Republican supporter on immigration reform and a key figure in helping to improve the GOP's image among Hispanics.

"His notion of the DREAM Act would only provide you with residency and the ability to stay, go to school but not lead to a path to citizenship," Solis said.

Solis blamed the Republicans for the gridlock over Obama's preferred version of the DREAM Act, saying that "I think the public knows where the real stalemate is."

"We don't have any players on the other side of the aisle going forward," Solis said. "That doesn't mean that we're going to give up because we're still going to be resilient."

Democrats are convinced that GOP rhetoric on immigration, support for state-level anti-immigrant measures and their widespread abandonment of comprehensive immigration reform will hurt them among Hispanic voters in November.

UPDATE: A Rubio spokesman emails: "We just don't create a new or special pathway to citizenship. Kids who qualify for Sen. Rubio's plan could eventually apply for residency and citizenship using the existing pathways."

source: Solis: Rubio's DREAM Act is 'half-cooked' - POLITICO.com