It’s not dead yet.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) pledged to bring up the DREAM Act during the lame duck session and this week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi threw her support behind the Senator and also called for a vote on the measure. The bill, which would provide legal status to young people who graduate from high school and pursue college or military service, failed to reach a vote in September when Senate Republicans blocked the Defense Authorization Act. At the time the DAA carried the DREAM Act as an amendment.
While passage is not guaranteed, bringing the DREAM Act to a vote while the Democrats still enjoy majorities in both the House and the Senate may be the measure’s best chance for passage in the near term. That’s because once the Republicans take over many immigration foes will take on powerful committee leads, all but assuring that any comprehensive and humane immigration measures stall. For example it is likely that Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) will Chair the House Judiciary Committee and Rep. Steve King (R-IA) will lead the Subcommittee on Immigration. Both Smith and King are known for their fiery anti-immigrant rhetoric leaving little doubt that finding some sort of realistic and humane approach to immigration reform will be a thing of the past.
The real tragedy here is that the DREAM Act is one of the few pieces of legislation to enjoy true bi-partisan support. but in a growing theme in Washington, lacked the necessary political will to become law. The measure has, with bi-partisan approval, passed the Senate numerous times and under numerous means, but has always died in the House.
Given the broad public support for the measure, and the fact that Latinos have largely fled the Republican party as a result of its increasingly racist rhetoric targeted squarely at them, passage of the DREAM Act could be a sure-fire way for the GOP to remain relevant in the coming years. The Democrats certainly have nothing to lose by pushing for a vote on the bill and indeed to re-energize their base by finally showing some fight.
Related Articles
- Pelosi wants DREAM Act vote (politico.com)
- Democrats court Latinos with DREAM citizenship plan (chron.com)
- Republican Resurgence Likely to Derail Immigration Reform (foxnews.com)
- Harry Reid Promises Senate Will Hold A Vote On The DREAM Act In Lame-Duck Session (huffingtonpost.com)
- Rep. Luis Gutierrez: On Immigration, Are You a Lamar Smith-John Boehner-Steve King Republican? (huffingtonpost.com)
- On immigration, are you a Lamar Smith-John Boehner-Steve King Republican? (Rep. Luis Gutierrez) (thehill.com)
- Rep. Steve King Plans Drastic Immigration Measure (huffingtonpost.com)
- Immigration reform is still doable (cnn.com)
- Open-borders lobby to Dingy Harry: Knock, knock. Pay up. (michellemalkin.com)
- Why the U.S. needs a new visa for foreigners who want to start businesses here. (slate.com)
