Senate vote on Dream Act expected next week

by Erin Kelly - Dec. 9, 2010 11:44 AM
Gannett Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday postponed until next week a vote on the DREAM Act, which would allow young immigrants brought to this country illegally as children to earn legal status if they attend college or serve in the U.S. military.

The Senate had been scheduled to vote on its version of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act on Thursday morning. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced that he wanted to scrap the Senate version in favor of a different version passed Wednesday night by the House.

Wednesday's vote was the first time the House has approved the DREAM Act in the 10 years since the legislation was first introduced in early 2001.

Now, if Reid manages to wrangle enough votes for the bill, it can go straight to President Barack Obama for his signature instead of having to go back to the House.

Reid won a 59-40 vote Thursday to table the Senate version of the bill.

The majority leader still faces an uphill battle to try to pass the legislation in the final days of the 111th Congress. Reid must get 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is leading conservative opposition to the bill, saying it would reward lawlessness and encourage more illegal immigration.

Groups opposed to illegal immigration said they will continue to rally opponents to defeat the legislation, which they denounce as amnesty.

"While some pundits, reporters and groups feel confident that amnesty will fail in the Senate, we do not share that confidence," said William Gheen, president of the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, in a letter to supporters. "The chances amnesty will pass the Senate and become law are very high. Only a few Republicans in the Senate need to surprisingly join with the Democrats to do the deed."

Immigrant rights' groups and their allies in Congress say they will use the extra time to try to convince GOP senators that the bill is needed to help young people who want to serve their adopted country and contribute fully to American society.

"Senate Republicans have offered a variety of process excuses for why we shouldn't pass this historic bill," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. "A postponed vote on DREAM will allow every single possible objection to be addressed. Then we will have arrived at a moment of truth for Republicans. The fastest-growing segment of the electorate is staring them in the eye, wondering what they will do."


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