Thread: URGENT REQUEST ON DREAM ACT

DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL AMENDMENT

I am listening to Dave Elswick on KARN, Little Rock. He has a guy on from FAIR and they are discussing the DREAM ACT.

Had it not been for Sen. Session calling a press conference and "blowing the whistle" on the bill, no one would have known about. He said DURBIN wanted to RUSH it through WHILE NO ONE WAS WATCHING.

This bill gives CONDITIONAL LAWFUL PROVISIONAL RESIDENT STATUS to ANY ILLEGAL who has graduated from HS, gotten a GED, or is already enrolled in higher ed. In tohers words, SHAMNESTY.

It will also give IN-STATE TUITION to EVERY ILLEGAL IN THE U.S. Every ILLEGAL accepted into a college or university will mean AN AMERICAN WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

There are 2 sponsors and 25 co-sponsors.

Elswick is URGING EVERYONE TO CALL, WRITE, FAX, EMAIL, protesting the DREAM ACT ATTACHED TO THE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL. He said this is the MOST IMPORTANT AMNESTY BILL SINCE THE defeated COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL.



DREAM Act reintroduced in Senate
Immigrants' Rights Update, Vol. 17, No. 5, September 4, 2003

[See also "Dream Act Reintroduced in Senate," Nov. 21, 2005.]

[See also "DREAM Act Passes Senate Judiciary Committee," Mar. 28, 2006.]

A new version of the bipartisan DREAM Act, which addresses the tragedy of young people who grew up in the United States and have graduated from U.S. high schools but whose future is circumscribed by current immigration laws, has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). Under current law, these young people generally derive their immigration status solely from their parents, and when the parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, their children have no mechanism to obtain legal residency. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act (S. 1545), introduced on July 31, 2003, provides such a mechanism for those who are able to meet certain conditions.

The leading bill in the House addressing the same issue is HR 1684 (Cannon, R-UT), known as the Student Adjustment Act. HR 1684 was introduced this spring and currently has 66 cosponsors from both parties.

Like last year's version of the DREAM Act, which was also sponsored by Sen. Hatch, S. 1545 would enact two major changes in current law:

Eliminate the federal provision that discourages states from providing in-state tuition without regard to immigration status; and
Permit some immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for legal status.
But S. 1545 differs in some important respects from its predecessor.

Unlike last year's bill, DREAM 2003 sets up a two-stage process for applying for legal status. Immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S., graduated from high school here, and can demonstrate good moral character would initially qualify for "conditional lawful permanent resident" status, which would normally last for six years. During the conditional period, the immigrant would be required to go to college, join the military, or work a significant number of hours of community service. At the end of the conditional period, those who meet at least one of these requirements would be eligible for regular lawful permanent resident status.

If enacted, DREAM 2003 would have a life-changing impact on the students who qualify, dramatically increasing their average future earnings-and, consequently, the amount of taxes they would pay-while significantly reducing criminal justice and social services costs to taxpayers.

Advocates believe that S. 1545 has a reasonable chance of passage in this session of Congress, in large part because Senators Hatch and Durbin were willing to bridge the bitter partisan divisions that have plagued the Senate this year. The bill already has 15 cosponsors representing a wide swath of the political spectrum; others are expected to announce their support now that Congress has reconvened after its summer break.

The following are some of the key features of DREAM 2003:

Restore State Option to Provide In-State Tuition Benefit. DREAM 2003 would repeal section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), which discourages states from providing in-state tuition or other higher education benefits without regard to immigration status.

Who Qualifies for Legal Residency. Under DREAM 2003, most students of good moral character who came to the U.S. before they were sixteen years old and at least five years before the date of the bill's enactment would qualify for conditional permanent resident status upon acceptance to college, graduation from high school, or being awarded a general equivalency diploma (GED). Students would not qualify for this relief if they had committed crimes, were a security risk, or were inadmissible or removable on certain other grounds.

Conditional Permanent Resident Status. Qualifying students would be granted conditional permanent resident status, which would be similar to lawful permanent resident status, except that it would be awarded for a limited period of time-6 years, under normal circumstances-instead of for an indefinite one. Students with conditional permanent resident status would be able to work, drive, go to school, and otherwise participate normally in day-to-day activities on the same terms as other Americans, except that they would not be able to travel abroad for lengthy periods. Time spent by young people in conditional permanent resident status would count towards the residency requirements for naturalization to U.S. citizenship.

Requirements to Lift the Condition and Obtain Regular Lawful Permanent Resident Status. At the end of the conditional period, regular lawful permanent resident status would be granted if, during the conditional period, the immigrant had maintained good moral character, avoided lengthy trips abroad, and met at least one of the following three criteria:

1. Graduated from a 2-year college or a vocational college that meets certain criteria, or studied for at least 2 years towards a bachelor's or a higher degree; or
2. Served in the U.S. armed forces for at least 2 years; or
3. Performed at least 910 hours of volunteer community service.

The 6-year time period for meeting these requirements would be extendable upon a showing of good cause, and the Dept. of Homeland Security would be empowered to waive the requirements altogether if compelling reasons such as disability prevented their completion and if removal of the student would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the student, or to the student's spouse, parent or child.

http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/DREAM/Dream001.htm

I am SOOOOOOOOOO Mad

I guess giving money to illegal aliens is way more important that supporting our troops! I can't believe he has stooped this low - this is not even an education bill, it's a DoD bill! We are AT WAR and our SONS are being shot at - and he wants to spend the money instead on benefits for illegal aliens?

This article is from 2003.

We have current copies of the Dream Acts in the Legislation Section
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... forum&f=15

FAIR has not issued an allert on this.

Just because an ammendment is submitted does not mean it will be considered for attachement to a bill.

For that matter, the "Dream Act" ammendment can be submitted to every bill introduced but it will most likely not be considered for vote.

Each ammendment is voted onto the bills.

Dixie

I just got this article TODAY

Senate Poised to Debate DREAM Act
Call Your Senators and Object!!!
This week, there have been increasing reports from the Hill that Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) intends to offer the DREAM Act as an amendment to the FY08 Department of Defense Authorization Bill (H.R.1585). Debate of this legislation and the Durbin Amendment is expected NEXT WEEK! Yesterday, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) held a press conference alerting the Capitol press corps to the growing possibility that the DREAM Act would be resurrected. Calling the bill "amnesty," he said, "We may be headed for another immigration battle."

The DREAM Act does two things: (1) it grants amnesty to illegal aliens who entered the country before the age of 16 and have met certain educational requirements and (2) it reverses current law to allow states to provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens while charging non-resident U.S. citizens out-of-state tuition.

The DREAM Act creates a three-tiered system to grant amnesty to illegal aliens who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16.

Illegal aliens who are over 12 and are enrolled in primary or secondary school are eligible for a stay of removal.
Illegal aliens who have obtained a high school diploma or a GED, or have simply been admitted to an institution of higher education, are eligible for conditional lawful permanent resident status (conditional LPR status). There is NO CAP ON THE NUMBER OF ALIENS who may receive conditional LPR status, there is NO AGE LIMIT, and such status MAY BE EXTENDED INDEFINITELY.
Illegal aliens who have already obtained conditional LPR status under the act and have also completed at least 2 years of a degree program or 2 years in the military are eligible for legal permanent resident status (LPR status).
Act now to stop the DREAM Act!!! Supporters of the DREAM Act insist that the legislation is not an amnesty and that it is only intended to help children. However, the details of the bill clearly prove that their claims are false! Please call your Senators TODAY, FRIDAY, and NEXT WEEK to let them know you oppose the DREAM Act. Tell them you strongly oppose rewarding illegal immigration with amnesty. Even if the children only entered with their illegal alien parents, those illegal alien parents are rewarded when their children become eligible to receive a U.S. education paid for by taxpayer dollars and are then granted amnesty.

PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW AND URGE THEM TO REJECT THE DREAM ACT! To find the phone number of your Senators, click here.

Dixie,

My point is that it SHOULD NOT be introduced to a DoD bill at all. My son is leaving for Iraq soon and instead of caring about our troops they are more concerned about giving illegals benefits!

Here is an email I got from Durbin just today. I'm not sure which email he is replying to (I pound him, And Obama with a lot). But it still applies here, and shows his evil ideas and what we are up against.

--------------------

September 13, 2007

Mr. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
123 This street
Xxxxxxx Xxxx, IL 60164

Dear Mr. Xxxxxx:

Thank you for your message regarding immigration reform. I appreciate hearing from you and share your concerns.

While the United States cannot afford to absorb all those who want to settle here, we are a nation of immigrants. My mother came to the United States from Lithuania with her parents when she was two years old, and our family created a new life in Illinois. It is a testament to the greatness of this nation that the son of an immigrant can rise to represent the State of Illinois in the Senate.

At the same time, our nation faces a host of problems as a result of years of inattention to our immigration policies. An estimated 800,000 illegal immigrants are added to our population each year. Roughly half of them enter the country illegally, while the other half overstay a temporary visa. I have worked to reform our immigration system comprehensively and in a way that is tough, realistic, and consistent with our moral values.

The immigration reform legislation the Senate considered in June would have improved border security by increasing manpower and deploying new technology. It also would have strengthened enforcement against employers who hire illegal immigrants. Today, undocumented workers live in fear and outside the protection of the law. Strengthening the penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers will ensure that both immigrants and citizens who work here are protected by our wage and labor laws.

If we are serious about reform, we need a realistic approach to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants who already live and work in our country. We need to offer immigrants who work hard and demonstrate a long-term commitment to be law-abiding, contributing members of our society a chance to pay fines and earn their way to permanent legal status over the course of many years.

If we do not give people who are already a part of our communities the chance to earn their way to legal status, we will not solve the problem of illegal immigration. People who are living here illegally will stay in the shadows instead of coming forward to register.

Immigration is good for America, but an employer's first job offer should go to any American who is willing and able to fill the job. I am concerned about the potential impact of proposed temporary guest worker programs on the American workforce. In many industries, the assured availability of large pools of guest workers will give employers an incentive to pass over American job applicants in favor of foreigners willing to work for less pay and fewer benefits. During the immigration debate, I offered a Hire Americans First amendment to require employers to seek American workers for their open positions before they try to bring in guest workers.

There is no perfect solution to the problems we face as a result of our broken immigration system. Today, our borders are not secure, our workplace enforcement laws need reform, and our immigration policy fosters a shadow economy for millions of immigrants who simply want to demonstrate that they can be hardworking contributors to the greatness of our country.

I will continue to work for a package of reforms that will protect American workers and that will be tough, enforceable, economically sensible, and morally defensible. I will keep your views in mind as the debate continues. Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch.



Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

RJD/tf

P.S. If you are ever visiting Washington, please feel free to join Senator Obama and me at our weekly constituent coffee. When the Senate is in session, we provide coffee and donuts every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. as we hear what is on the minds of Illinoisans and respond to your questions. We would welcome your participation. Please call my D.C. office for more details.

Madeinchicago........we have ALL heard this this story before haven't we ? It is time for serious ENFORCEMENT instead of more pandering !!

Durbin needs a wake up call ! He is being USED by the "Kool Aide Smile Gang" their own words not mine (Illegal Alien Children)they know a whimsical smile and a sob story can melt hearts whether it is real or not..How do we get him to see this ?

What a liar. The only thing he cares about is the votes, which give him power and money.

Originally Posted by realbsball

What a liar. The only thing he cares about is the votes, which give him power and money.

You got it!! He has been my Senator for a long time (sorry world ), so I have seen a lot of his BS. Even outside of immigration, he has no clue what the people of Illinois really want. And I think I can talk for both of the major parties here.

Letter to my Senators and Congressman - use it if you like:

Subject: No DREAM Act, No AgJOBS, No Amnesty. What is wrong with Congress?

September 13, 2007

Dear Senator Smith, Senator Wyden and Congressman Blumenauer,

Do any of you have any idea how average Americans look at you? Do you feel the disdain that we have for the US Congress? Do you look at the poll numbers?

I think the answer to all of those questions is probably NO! Why else would you and your colleagues be trying so hard to push through Amnesty in bits and pieces? I hear now from Senator Sessions that the DREAM Act, AgJOBS and other amnesty bills are soon to be revived.

Senator Sessions is one of the few respectable people among the cast of power mongers that comprise the current US Congress. If it weren't for him and a very few others, the American people would have no opportunity to fight for what is right.

I honestly don't know how even a good member of the House or Senate an look in the mirror.

We told you loud and clear earlier in the summer, we will not stand for amnesty for ANY illegal aliens under any circumstances. Every member of the Congress had better get with the program. The anger is starting to boil like it did in May and June. Do you really want your phones ringing off the hook again?

Think about this, if our existing immigration laws had been enforced after amnesty (AND IT WAS AMNESTY NO MATTER HOW YOU SPIN IT) went down, young Danni Countryman would still be alive. Her blood is on the hands of every member of Congress and this disgusting administration for doing absolutely nothing!

No Amnesty! No AgJOBS, No DREAM Act! Enforce the law and build the fence!

Absolutely Disgusted,


JECG