Senate Dems Push DREAM Act Vote to Monday
Senate Dems Push DREAM Act Vote to Monday
Published December 08, 2010
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Ill., left, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., look on during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, to discuss the Dream Act legislation. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)
Democrats have delayed a showdown vote on legislation carving out a path to legal status for foreign-born youngsters who were brought to this country illegally, or entered legally with their parents on a visa then overstayed.
Facing GOP objections, Democrats are putting aside the Dream Act. They're short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure.
Democratic officials say they'll try to move a House-passed version after the Senate acts on funding the government and extending tax cuts. Republicans have said they won't agree to consider anything else until those issues are addressed.
The bill grants hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children a chance to gain legal status if they enroll in college or join the military.
The House of Representatives approved a bill that would grant thousands of young undocumented immigrants the chance to become American citizens Wednesday night.
The bill now needs 60 votes in the Senate, where it is expected to be brought up for a vote on Monday.
The bill is aimed at hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. before the age of 16, who have been in the country for five years and graduated from high school or gained an equivalency degree. They would have a chance to gain legal status if they joined the military or attended college.
The DREAM Act is a top priority of Democrats and politically active Hispanic groups, who call it a crucial down payment on a broader immigration overhaul. Critics call the measure backdoor amnesty for lawbreakers.
President Barack Obama's team has made an intense public push for the bill, under pressure from Hispanic activists angry that the White House has not pressed harder for a broad immigration overhaul to give several million illegal immigrants a shot at legal status.
In recent days, the administration dispatched officials from the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce and Education to argue vociferously in public that the legislation would boost national security, competitiveness and economic growth.
Hispanic activists have described the DREAM Act as the least Congress can do on the issue. It targets the most sympathetic of the millions of undocumented people — those brought to the United States as children, who in many cases consider themselves American, speak English and have no ties to or family living in their native countries.
Estimates differ widely as to how many young people would be eligible for some sort of legal status under the measure. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that one version of the bill that applies to immigrants aged 35 and under would let more than 1 million apply for legal status over the next 10 years, and potentially allow 500,000 to receive it.
A newer version of the bill changed to improve its chances only applies to those under 30, which supporters say would limit it to 300,000 or so.
GOP opponents in the Senate circulated a memo calling the measure "mass amnesty," noting that the bill has no cap or end-date. They contend it could allow even the most dangerous criminals and terrorists to gain legal status.
Those afforded legal status under the bill would, however, have to undergo the same background check as any immigrant seeking legal residency.
"These are not the individuals that are threats to our public safety or to our security," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politi ... z17dtJjcHt
WE CAN NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!
Wow! Obama's going down & taking us with him
Obama really has no plans on running in 2012 from looking at his absurd actions. This mess is absurd. We have a 30% unemployment rate with the "official #" being 9.8%, which only accounts for those filing first time jobless claims and do not take into consideration those under-employed, displaced by illegal aliens or those who have been seeking work for over 99 weeks.
Pelosi, Reid, Eric Holder, Napolitano, Hillary Clinton and Obama are criminals trying to take down this country for their own corporate and "imagined" political profit.
I simply refuse to be a slave to the government due to a dumb down immigrant voting majority and that is exactly what some in our government have been working on for 30 years
Re: Wow! Obama's going down & taking us with him
Quote:
Originally Posted by Creoleguy32
Obama really has no plans on running in 2012 from looking at his absurd actions. This mess is absurd. We have a 30% unemployment rate with the "official #" being 9.8%, which only accounts for those filing first time jobless claims and do not take into consideration those under-employed, displaced by illegal aliens or those who have been seeking work for over 99 weeks.
Pelosi, Reid, Eric Holder, Napolitano, Hillary Clinton and Obama are criminals trying to take down this country for their own corporate and "imagined" political profit.
I simply refuse to be a slave to the government due to a dumb down immigrant voting majority and that is exactly what some in our government have been working on for 30 years
IF HE DOES RUN, I WILL SURELY VOTE FOR SOMEONE ELSE :!: OBAMA HAS DONE TOO MUCH DAMAGE TO THIS COUNTRY FOR HIM TO EVEN THINK THAT HE'S GOING TO SERVE ANOTHER TERM IN THE WH. NO WAY WILL I VOTE FOR THIS MAN :!:
Re: Wow! Obama's going down & taking us with him
Quote:
Originally Posted by Creoleguy32
This mess is absurd. We have a 30% unemployment rate with the "official #" being 9.8%, which only accounts for those filing first time jobless claims and do not take into consideration those under-employed, displaced by illegal aliens or those who have been seeking work for over 99 weeks.
Pelosi, Reid, Eric Holder, Napolitano, Hillary Clinton and Obama are criminals trying to take down this country for their own corporate and "imagined" political profit.
'Bama went for health care when Americans were desperate for jobs and for keeping a roof over their heads. That's pure ego. Now they're following up with another amnesty, to lock up control of Congress and the White House - while Americans remain desperate in the face of structural unemployment. Even by career politician standards that's being extremely callous.
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Americans first in this magnificent country
American jobs for American workers
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