Thread: Republicans Slam DREAM Act for Including Immigrants With Cri

With both chambers of Congress cruising toward a vote on the DREAM Act as early as Wednesday afternoon, Republicans are grousing about what they argue is a glaring loophole that allows illegal immigrant criminals to qualify for a green card.

The DREAM Act, a bill heavily backed by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats, would give some illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as children a pathway to legal status provided they attend college or join the military. Supporters argue it gives immigrants invested in this country a chance at coming out of the shadows, justly letting them off the hook for the decision of their parents to enter the United States illegally. It encourages education and would build the Armed Forces, they say.

But the bill is written more broadly than that, Republicans argue. According to a memo circulated by GOP aides on the Senate Judiciary Committee, there are a host of crimes illegal immigrants would be allowed to commit and still qualify -- assault, domestic violence, sexual abuse, reckless driving and various types of fraud among them.

"Talk about misplaced priorities. In the middle of a deep recession, with taxes about to increase, Democrat leaders in Washington are asking Americans to pick up the tab for a proposal that would offer amnesty to millions -- including those with criminal records," Stephen Miller, a spokesman for Judiciary Committee Republicans, told FoxNews.com in a statement.

The list of permissible crimes would depend on the circumstance, but the way the bill is written, it allows a potential applicant to have committed up to two misdemeanors. Specifically, anybody convicted of a federal or state offense carrying a sentence of one year or less, or anybody convicted of up to two offenses with a combined sentence of under 90 days, could be eligible.

Republicans are questioning why the legislation would allow such a criminal background, when a misdemeanor can be more than just some childhood shoplifting. With these objections in mind, some of the bill's top opponents are aiming to put up a united front against it. Both the House and Senate are expected to take the bill up late Wednesday afternoon. The bill faces presumably tougher prospects in the Senate, where Republicans have pledged to oppose any non-spending, non-tax cut measures until an extension of the Bush tax cuts is passed.

But Democrats have steadily built the case for the proposal, with the Obama administration releasing a de facto endorsement Wednesday morning.

"Young people who have spent much of their lives in the United States and want to improve their lives and their nation by pursuing higher education or defending the United States as members of the Armed Forces should be given this opportunity to earn legal status," the White House said.

The administration has put out top officials from the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and elsewhere in recent days to tout the proposed policy, while Hispanic advocacy groups that have long supported the package are rallying people behind it.

"Against all odds, these young men and women fought for a place ... they finished high school, and they said 'we want to do more'," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chief sponsor of the bill in the Senate.

Regarding Republican complaints, a Durbin aide told FoxNews.com that nobody with a felony on his or her record would be eligible under the DREAM Act.

"No serious crimes would be allowed," the aide said. "Misdemeanor crimes are all minor crimes by definition. ... Murderers are not going to be eligible under the DREAM Act."

Under the bill, applicants must have arrived in the United States before they were 16 and must have lived continuously in the country for five years or more. If they are granted conditional status, they would have to wait at least 10 years to become permanent legal residents.

But Republicans warn that the policy could strain the immigration system, reward bad behavior and ultimately give "amnesty" to up to 2 million undocumented residents.

"The bill subsidizes education for illegal immigrants, grants them amnesty, encourages more illegal immigration and inevitably takes jobs from American workers. In short, the DREAM Act is a nightmare for the American people," Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said in a written statement Wednesday. "American voters want to see our immigration laws enforced, not ignored."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12 ... l-records/

they argue is a glaring loophole that allows illegal immigrant criminals to qualify for a green card.

Why on earth would you even consider doing this...

such obession with having power they are sickening!

...... these people are mentally disturbed and need to be removed from office...

"Against all odds, these young men and women fought for a place ... they finished high school, and they said 'we want to do more'," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chief sponsor of the bill in the Senate.
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TRAITOR

From the Home Page.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-220513.html

Rep Lamar Smith explains it perfectly and in the Dems own words.
DREAM Act carries some harsh realities

By Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) - 12/06/10 04:53 PM ET
Last week, the Department of Labor reported that unemployment in America rose to 9.8 percent. Joblessness has now topped 9.5 percent for 16 straight months, the longest stretch since the Great Depression. Yet in the 11th hour of the 111th Congress, Democrats are attempting to pass legislation that would grant amnesty to an estimated two million illegal immigrants.


The DREAM Act subsidizes education for illegal immigrants, grants them mass amnesty, encourages more illegal immigration and inevitably takes jobs from American workers. Simply put, the DREAM Act is a nightmare for the American people.

Claims that the bill only applies to 875,000 illegal immigrants are misleading. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated two million illegal immigrants under the age of 35 would be eligible for amnesty under the DREAM Act. Once amnesty recipients become citizens and turn 21, they can sponsor their illegal immigrant parents for legalization. This kind of chain migration only encourages more illegal immigration, as parents will bring their children to the U.S. in hopes of receiving citizenship.

The bill also is a magnet for fraud. Many illegal immigrants will falsely claim that they arrived in the U.S. before age 16. And the DREAM Act makes it possible for almost any illegal immigrant to evade the law. Once an application is filed, no matter how fraudulent, the federal government is prohibited from deporting the applicant.

Apparently the Obama administration sees nothing wrong with illegal immigration. Today, Americans under the age of 35 face an unemployment rate of 14.5 percent. And 28 percent of all African-Americans under age 35 have no job. So why are the Democrats considering this bill? Didn’t they hear the voters on Nov. 2? The American people want a strong and growing economy, not more competition for scarce jobs. 

One reason might explain why the Democrats are willing to hurt American workers.

[b][size=150]These are their own words: “The legalization of 11 million new immigrants would likely cement the [Democratic] party’s position as the majority party for decades to come.â€

Originally Posted by JAK

they argue is a glaring loophole that allows illegal immigrant criminals to qualify for a green card.

Why on earth would you even consider doing this...

such obession with having power they are sickening!

...... these people are mentally disturbed and need to be removed from office...

Dems are on the Mexican cartels payroll

Originally Posted by JAK

they argue is a glaring loophole that allows illegal immigrant criminals to qualify for a green card.

Why on earth would you even consider doing this...

such obession with having power they are sickening!

...... these people are mentally disturbed and need to be removed from office...

Yes, they are mentally disturbed JAK. They are crazier than the bed bugs their true constituents are hauling in here by the billions.

But the bill is written more broadly than that, Republicans argue. According to a memo circulated by GOP aides on the Senate Judiciary Committee, there are a host of crimes illegal immigrants would be allowed to commit and still qualify -- assault, domestic violence, sexual abuse, reckless driving and various types of fraud among them.

It is total insanity for TPTB to allow anyone who came here illegally "a path to citizenship," much less give a path to citizenship to known criminals!

If even ONE Dream Act compromise is agreed to by the GOP, it will be perfectly clear that the American people are no more able to stop TPTB in the United States from destroying this country, than the Mexicans are able to stop their corrupt officials from destroying their country.

One Dream Act compromise will poison our whole legal immigration system.

Originally Posted by GoodOleDays

If even ONE Dream Act compromise is agreed to by the GOP, it will be perfectly clear that the American people are no more able to stop TPTB in the United States from destroying this country, than the Mexicans are able to stop their corrupt officials from destroying their country.

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Surely the GOP wouldn't DO THAT!

Bears repeating ... thanks

C-SPAN-2 is airing the Senate hearing now.