Thread: Round Five for the DREAM Act

Americas Society Website
There are a number of links contained in this article which can be activated at the source:
http://www.as-coa.org/article.php?id=1571

Round Five for the DREAM Act
Carlos Macias
April 2, 2009

In a first step to bring immigration reform back to the front burner, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Rubin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) in the Senate on March 26. A similar bill called the American Dream Act was submitted in the House of Representatives in a bipartisan effort. Yet, despite domestic debate over immigration in recent years, the controversial initiative has not reached the national spotlight. As an example, during President Barack Obama’s interactive town hall meeting held on March 26, none of the top ten questions voted on by more than 3.5 million people were related to immigration reform.

The DREAM Act offers a two-step legalization process for children described as “1.5ers.â€

They just can't take NO for an answer can they?

Please give Illinois Senator Dick Durbin's staff some strong, firm message about how the American people feel about this treason. You might want to mention that most of the Illinois Dem big shots are getting indicted for corruption this week, former governor shaking down individuals for campaign contributions and selling offices, threatening press who wrote editorials against him.

Here's Dick Durbin's Congressional staff - be polite, but ask for the staff by name.

Washington, DC Staff Patrick J. Souders
202-224-9447 Washington Chief of Staff
E-mail: patrick_souders@durbin.senate.gov Claire Dickhut
202-224-2152 Scheduler Joe Shoemaker
202-224-7028 Communications Director
E-mail: joe_shoemaker@durbin.senate.gov Max Gleischman
202-228-5244 Press Secy. Christina Mulka
202-228-5643 Press Secy. Molly Rowley
202-224-9447 Speechwriter
E-mail: molly_rowley@durbin.senate.gov Tom Faletti
202-224-2152 Policy Director
E-mail: tom_faletti@durbin.senate.gov Sally Brown-Shaklee
202-224-9447 Director of Operations (Whip Office)
E-mail: sally_brown-shaklee@durbin.senate.gov Dena Morris
202-224-2152 Legis. Director Mayra Alvarez
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Candice Cho
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst.
E-mail: candice_cho@durbin.senate.gov Erin Collinson
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Tom Ferrone
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Chris Homan
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Brad McConnell
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Sarah Neimeyer
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Lexi Saudargas
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst.
E-mail: lexi_saudargas@durbin.senate.gov Sarah Singleton
202-224-2152 Legis. Asst. Tom Kotarac
202-224-2152 Projects Director Joseph Zogby
202-224-2152 Chief Counsel, Judiciary Committee
E-mail: joseph_zogby@judiciary.senate.gov Michael Zubrensky
202-224-2152 Senior Counsel, Judiciary Committee
E-mail: michael_zubrensky@judiciary.senate.gov Heloisa Griggs
202-224-2152 Counsel, Judiciary Committee Daniel Swanson
202-224-2152 Counsel, Judiciary Committee
E-mail: dan_swanson@durbin.senate.gov Marianne Clifford Upton
202-224-2152 Clerk, Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, Committee on Appropriations
E-mail: marianne_upton@govt-aff.senate.gov Anne Wall
202-224-2152 Director of Floor Operations / Office Counsel Reema Dodin
202-224-2152 Floor Counsel Lisa Crego
202-224-2152 Director of Constituent Correspondence
E-mail: erin_collinson@durbin.senate.gov Brad Middleton
202-224-2152 Legis. Corres. Trevor Reuschel
202-224-2152 Legis. Corres. Nida Shakir
202-224-2152 Legis. Corres. Michael Simmons
202-224-2152 Legis. Corres. Andrew Simon
202-224-2152 Legis. Corres. Hannah Walter
202-224-2152 Legis. Corres. Gill Pinkney
202-224-2152 Office Manager
E-mail: gill_pinkney@durbin.senate.gov Danika Robinson
202-224-2152 Director of Constituent Services Ben Garmisa
202-224-2152 Press Asst. Amanda Agosti
202-224-2152 Special Asst.
E-mail: alan_bruce@durbin.senate.gov Jaideep Dargan
202-224-2152 Staff Asst.
E-mail: carrie_tamashiro-bush@durbin.senate.gov Dave Kurczewski
202-224-2152 Staff Asst. Laura Lefkow
202-224-2152 Staff Asst. Yolanda Turner
202-224-2152 Staff Asst.
E-mail: yolanda_turner@durbin.senate.gov Monique Turner-Moore
202-224-2152 Staff Asst.
E-mail: monique_turner-moore@durbin.senate.gov Susan Burke
202-224-2152 Congressional Fellow Sumona Guha
202-224-2152 Congressional Fellow Lara Quint
202-224-2152 Congressional Fellow Brian Thompson
202-224-2152 Congressional Fellow Sarah Handy
202-224-2152 Legislative Fellow Note: At Sen. Durbin's request, individual staff e-mail addresses are not published.
State Offices and Staff
Chicago, IL 60604-1505:
John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn Street, 38th Floor
Phone: 312-353-4952
Fax: 312-353-0150
TDD: 312-786-0308
Michael E. Daly Illinois Chief of Staff Clarisol Duque Chicago Director Leslie Lesner Scheduler Christina Angarola Illinois Press Secy. John Normoyle Press Secy. Cynthia Bajjalieh Office Manager; Staff Asst. Kai Love Davis Constituent Svcs. Director Kambium Buckner Staff Asst. Camille Dowdney Staff Asst. Jeffrey Esser Staff Asst. Rachel Friedlieb Staff Asst. David McDermott Staff Asst. Kathleen Rooney Staff Asst. Sendy Soto Staff Asst.
Marion, IL 62959-1709:
701 N. Court Street
Phone: 618-998-8812
Fax: 618-997-0176
Betsey Hall Staff Asst. Kappy Scates Staff Asst.
Springfield, IL 62703-1606:
525 S. Eighth Street
Phone: 217-492-4062
Fax: 217-492-4382
Michael E. Daly Illinois Chief of Staff Bill Houlihan Downstate Director Sara Froleich Deputy Downstate Director Stacie Barton Staff Asst. Anne Dougherty Staff Asst. Bart Ellefritz Staff Asst. Kaylee Gholson Staff Asst. Sylvia Gillepsie Staff Asst. Betty Hamilton Staff Asst. Tim Sullivan Staff Asst.



[quote="Texas2step"]Americas Society Website
There are a number of links contained in this article which can be activated at the source:
http://www.as-coa.org/article.php?id=1571

Round Five for the DREAM Act
Carlos Macias
April 2, 2009

In a first step to bring immigration reform back to the front burner, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) in the Senate on March 26.

However, during this week’s visit to Costa Rica, Vice President Joe Biden warned Central American leaders that the ailing economy hinders immediate action on U.S. immigration reform.

Oh, so the cat's out of the bag..We have our execs pandering to the leaders of other countries instead of American citizens. Is Biden promising them something?

FIRST OF ALL, IT IS NOT THEIR COUNTRY.....THEY ARE ILLEGAL. SECONDLY, IT WON'T CREATE A PERMANENT UNDERCLASS FOR US, BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BE DEPORTED NOW!
Bill would help educate children of illegal immigrants

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, April 4, 2009

An increasing number of college graduates have discovered that even a diploma from an Ivy League school can't help them find a job. It's not the right sheet of paper.

Told from childhood that an education would change their lives, many children of undocumented immigrants are now facing disillusionment and worse – deportation – after living in this country most of their lives.

Should their lack of a legal document prevent them from becoming contributing members of our work force?

Scholars, legal experts, business leaders and representatives of community organizations will be addressing the question next week at a Southern Methodist University symposium on the DREAM Act, a bill introduced again last week in Congress.

The SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development, in partnership with the Texas DREAM Act Coalition, will hold an all-day series of panel discussions focusing on the issue of having well-trained college graduates unable to work.

Supporters of the bill say it's a waste of human resources that the country can ill afford at a time when the global marketplace is becoming dramatically more competitive.

Some form of the Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors Act has been introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate over the past eight years. This year, with strong bipartisan support and a Democratic president, supporters hope they will finally get a shot at being heard.

"It will certainly be part of a spirited debate on comprehensive immigration reform this fall," says Frank Sharry, president and founder of America's Voice, a communications campaign promoting immigration reform. He will be the keynote speaker at the symposium luncheon.

He expects Congress to take up immigration reform this year, as President Barack Obama follows up on a campaign pledge to move on the issue in his first term.

"Certainly, the 2008 election was a game changer with regards to immigration reform," Sharry said, as Latinos voted in record numbers and forced politicians to take another look at this growing bloc of voters and their concerns.

As a result, the DREAM Act will also will get a closer look.

The bill would legalize immigrant children for six years, during which time they must attend college or serve in the military for at least two years. Students must show that they came to this country as minors and have no criminal record. After the conditional period, they can apply for citizenship.

Nathan Cortéz, a law professor at SMU and a symposium panelist, said the DREAM Act makes a lot of sense.

"It's targeted at kids who want to help their country," he said. "They grew up in the U.S. just like any other kid. They're smart kids."

Not allowing them to fulfill their potential won't solve our national security issues, despite some of the rhetoric filling cable TV shows.

"If we don't help these kids, we're going to create a permanent underclass that doesn't have the same opportunities as everybody else," he said. "That doesn't keep terrorists out. It just punishes a good kid."

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