Thread: Reps. Gutierrez and Bilbray Debate the DREAM Act

By John King, USA

KING: Both the house and Senate begin debate this week on legislation known here in Washington as the dream act. The bill would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who entered the United States before the age of 16, stayed out of legal trouble, earned a high school diploma and committed to attending college or serving the military. Here to discuss the bill's merits and its likelihood of passage, Illinois Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez and California Republican Congressman Ryan Bilbray. Congressman Gutierrez, I want to start with you first. You have been fighting for this legislation for quite some time. I just checked with a Senate source who says they will try to have a closer vote Wednesday morning. The back half of that message was but we're still not sure we have the votes to pass it. As you know, there are some saying this is a political stunt. Democrats trying to please a constituency and they know they can't pass it.

REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ (D), ILLINOIS: We tried in September. There are at least 12 to 13 members in the Senate who voted for it in 2006, been a cosponsor of the bill or voted for it in judiciary. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation, that's why we keep stressing in your description, it isn't amnesty. It's the kids that came here through no fault of their own with their parents and joined the military and they pay back and earn their legalization. As you suggest, it might have a pathway to citizenship, but it's a long path. It's ten years in this temporary status. You've got to work, go to school, join the military, graduate. Some estimates, maybe only 40 percent of those eligible will be able to qualify over that. Then you have to stay another three years in another temporary. So 15 years before citizenship and in the meantime you pay taxes and you've enriched our economy.

KING: So Congressman Bilbray, what's your objection? Specifically here, we could have a long conversation in a minute about the broader immigration issues, but here, you're talk in talking about young children brought into this country, yes, illegally, but by their parents. It wasn't their decision or by someone in their family, it wasn't their decision. If they're behaving well, if they want to be get a good education, serve in the military, pay taxes. What's the problem?

REP. BRIAN BILBRAY (R), CALIFORNIA: The big problem is why are you trying to do it now? Why didn't you have hearings? Who even knows what's going to be brought up. First of all, you don't know that. Second of all, in a week where you've seen the cartels were busted in Phoenix, smuggling under age people in the country, now, we're talking about trading a whole new public policy of rewarding that kind of illegal activity. Second of all, you're not talking about children.

KING: They don't cross the border and get status.

BILBRAY: No, no, no. This will go through the process, but the process is if your parents smuggle you in illegally, you now get the benefit. Remember, this will be the first time the Congress has equated military service of veterans with the promise of attending school. That kind of concept has got people like the ranking chair of veterans very upset. The congress will set a policy that an illegal going school is equal to veteran service. The biggest message that we've got to say is the mixed message this country continues to send to people around the world that America will reward illegal behavior.

KING: Congressman Gutierrez, it sounds listening to the passion of your Republican colleague here that you have this week and next week to get this done because his party will control the house come January. Is that a fair statement that if you don't get this done by the end of the year in this lame duck Congress it is DOA?

GUTIERREZ: You know, unfortunately, I really believe that is the truth. That this is the last opportunity to get some reform in our system, but I do think, John, it's important to note that my friend refers now to the drug cartels. These kids have clean records. As a matter of fact, they have to submit to a complete security background check before they're allowed to even enter the program. And we're not -- and it's a one time only. If you're not in the United States at the point in which this law is signed, you don't get it. Let's say you're 11 and you've been in the country four years. Guess what? When you're 18, you don't qualify. It's a very tailored program to a group of young people who can serve in the military. Let me just share with you, I've met a lot of the young dream activists. They love this country. They're American citizens because some got here when they were 2, 3, 4 years old. Then the grade school, high school. This is the only country they know. The only country they love and they want to serve in the military. What a better way, how about I say, what's the ultimate tax a citizen can pay or a member of a society can pay to a government? If not the tax of their blood, of their limbs, of their service, of their life and the protection of that nation.

BILBRAY: John, if this was such a great idea, why wasn't it done before November when the American people would see what was proposed? Why hasn't there been any hearings?

GUTIERREZ: Actually, it was done.

BILBRAY: We don't even see the text of what is coming forward. What it's saying is the fact we're going to create a whole new status, and this concept of oh, we'll only do it one time. That's what we said in '96 when we did that amnesty. You really think the people around the world are so blind to think that if you give amnesty, you start rewarding illegal behavior, we'll find a little niche for every body that it doesn't send a mixed signal. Look you can sit in Chicago. I'm on the border. I'm seeing the death. I'm seeing the cartels. They're smuggling drugs and illegals into this country.

KING: We're not sure if this dream act will pass which is a small slice of the immigration debate in the immigration fight. Is it a fair statement -- do you agree on this point given that this one is so contention and it is such a small one, you would think somewhat less controversial than some of the bigger issues and the big debate issue, that the broader question of comprehensive immigration reform you have been pushing for for years Congressman Gutierrez, is that now a dead issue through the next presidential election given the politics of Washington right now at least?

BILBRAY: I think the fact --

KING: I don't --

BILBRAY: It's a dead issue to talk about amnesty. The Congressman and I can concentrate on going after the real culprits of illegal immigration. That's illegal employers. The Congressman should be joining with Congressman Shuler with a bipartisan effort to require e-verification that we shut off the illegal employers creating the major magnet. We've also got to cut off the politicians who are saying wet to reward illegal behavior.

KING: If you do those things, you'll still have 12 million people who came into the United States illegally.

BILBRAY: John, you don't have the -- you've got to stop paying them. Stop the employers who are paying them to stay here illegally. We have seen that across the board. We've seen the reduction when enforcement and economy drops off and I think the Congressman will agree. We don't have enough jobs for the people here legally. We don't have enough educational opportunities for those who are here legally. Why in the world at this time of crisis, when we ought to be talking about jobs for Americans, that we'd be talking about actually creating a whole new group of entitlement, of education and employment, that we would not be able to fulfill under existing economic situations. That's what we ought to be talking about, jobs for legal immigrants and legal citizens.

GUTIERREZ: Here's what we have had. John, we just appropriated $600 million. It's quadrupled the number of border patrol agents that we have. As a matter of fact the head of the border patrol want to control the border, have comprehensive immigration reform. We believe that you should have make sure that everybody in the United States is employed is checked by the government, that you have e-verify, that you're putting people on the border, that you do punish and put people in jail, but then there's like this fantasy that the 12 million will just go poof and disappear. It's not going to happen. Many of them have deep roots in the communities in which they live. 4 million American citizen children whose parents are undocumented and living in the United States of America, so all I'm saying is we'll give you, but the policy of enforcement, I've been in the Congress 18 years consecutively. We keep appropriating more money because we keep exacerbating the problem because we don't deal with it. BILBRAY: And Congressman, you know we need to go after interior enforcement in Chicago. The problem isn't in my neighborhoods at the border. The deaths and destruction is going on there, but your employers up north are the ones who are employing these people and until we Republicans and Democrats go after that, talking about rewarding illegal behavior with amnesty, you can't build a fence tall enough to do that. Ask the border patrol association. They say enforcement in the workplace is what we need.

GUTIERREZ: Mr. Bilbray, I know you like telling me what I should be doing and what I should know. Here's what I do know. 1994, your party gained the majority and for eight years, from 2001-2008, you were six of those years you were in the majority and for 12 of those years, you were in the majority in the house and for eight of those years, you had the presidency, everything, and you didn't deal with the problem.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... 08177.html

BILBRAY: John, you don't have the -- you've got to stop paying them. Stop the employers who are paying them to stay here illegally. We have seen that across the board. We've seen the reduction when enforcement and economy drops off and I think the Congressman will agree. We don't have enough jobs for the people here legally. We don't have enough educational opportunities for those who are here legally. Why in the world at this time of crisis, when we ought to be talking about jobs for Americans, that we'd be talking about actually creating a whole new group of entitlement, of education and employment, that we would not be able to fulfill under existing economic situations. That's what we ought to be talking about, jobs for legal immigrants and legal citizens.

Bilbray is Great!

"If you're not in the United States at the point in which this law is signed, you don't get it. Let's say you're 11 and you've been in the country four years. Guess what? When you're 18, you don't qualify".

Gutierrez is so full of it. The border is wide open resulting in thousands illegally crossing it every week including gang members, sex offenders, identity thieves and other illegal alien criminals who will be eligible for amnesty under this sham and fraud of a bill. He has opposed securing the border and opposes interior enforcement too. There will be never ending illegal immigration followed by never ending amnesties. Also there is no cap on how many are eligible to apply and are automatically accepted, even criminals as sex offenders, and there is no expiration date. Gutierrez also claims they will be subject to a complete background check. B.S. DHS is corrupt, incompetent, under resourced and understaffed. They already are dealing with a backlog of 8 million people who legally applied to come here. Those illegally here (immediate and extended family members accompanying them here and granted amnesty too) use stolen and fraudulent identities and are from countries which have no central database to establish their identities, so ascertaing their true identities would be impossible.
Just more lies from a pro-open borders schmuck who already stated he cares only about and serves only his illegal alien voting constituents. Gutierrez believes we should be forced to give what we have accumulated through hard work and sacrifice to those who violated our laws, borders and sovereignty because he feels his fellow illegal aliens are entitled to everything we have.

When is this jerk up for re-election. If it was this Nov then there are as many stupid people in Chicago as there are here. in California

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnPN75LV ... r_embedded

Links posted to the site.

http://american-rattlesnake.org/2010/12/a-few-notes/

GutierrASS you are the problem! But like true Americans we will fix that problem by voting you out of the country!