By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© Journal Group Link International)

DREAM Act Vote Reset for December 8^th or 9th

C HICAGO (JGLi) – The vote for the DREAM Act before the U.S. House of Representatives at 11 a.m. Friday (Dec. 3) was delayed after the failure of the turnover Thursday (Dec. 2) night of the estimated cost of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office, according to sources from the Justice For Immigrants homepage.

The Rules Committee requires the CBO estimate before Congress debates on a bill. When the House gets back in session on Tuesday (Dec. 7) night, the vote will likely come Wednesday or Thursday in the House.

The JFI said supporters of the bill should take advantage of the delay by calling target Representatives over the next several days.

“Between now and next Wednesday, please continue to call and send messages to your Representatives and ask him/her to vote for the DREAM Act.  You may use JFI's DREAM Act action alert to quickly send a message directly to your federal lawmakers.  The action alert is on the JFI homepage at www.justiceforimmigrants.org,” JFI said. Or “call 866-967-6018 to be connected to your representative and ask them to support the DREAM Act.”

In an email to this reporter, U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin (Dem.-IL) said, “Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the DREAM Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

“While many high school graduates in our country go on to further their education, some are prevented from achieving their full potential despite being motivated to succeed.

“These members of our communities did not make the choice to come here; they were brought to the United States as children.
“Often, these young people did not discover until much later that the decisions made by their parents left them without a country to call their own.

 
“Since arriving here they have attended school, learned English, and contributed to their communities, and they want to be productive members of our society.

“To address this issue I introduced the bipartisan Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act). This bill, which I first introduced in 2003, would enable undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children to apply for conditional legal status if they have lived in the United States for at least five years, have graduated from high school here, and are of good moral character.

“Under the DREAM Act, these students would have the opportunity to remove the conditional nature of their resident status by acquiring a college degree, successfully attending at least two years of college, or serving honorably in the Armed Forces for at least two years.”

A ccording to the Majority Floor Leader, the Dream Act would benefit the nation for years to come. The United States currently brings in tens of thousands of foreign workers each year on temporary guest worker visas to work in high-skilled positions.

These temporary visa holders may have no intention of committing to or assimilating into the United States.

He added, “The current law denies opportunities to talented children who grew up in America and who were successful as students. They might have become American scientists, nurses, teachers, or engineers. I have met many of these students, young men and women who want to apply their talents to benefit the United States - often the only country they have ever known.

 
“But because of circumstances beyond their control, they are denied that opportunity. As a result, our country suffers from lost economic growth and human potential.”

Last September, the DREAM Act was offered as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (S. 3454). An effort to move to consideration of the bill failed 56 to 43 votes. But on September 22, Mr. Durbin re-introduced the DREAM Act again as a stand-alone bill, S. 3827.

He said there are thousands of young people across our country who

believe in the promise of America. They will make the U.S. a stronger nation.

Mr. Durbin pledged to continue to work for the passage of immigration reforms, including the DREAM Act, that are tough and enforceable but also fair and consistent with our nation's values.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urged U.S. Congress Thursday, Dec. 2, to pass the DREAM Act that would allow some foreign-born young people who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children to become legal residents.

By passing the law, Congress would help Napolitano’s department focus on deporting immigrant with criminal records.

The DREAM Act gained traction before the mid-term elections when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced during the campaign that he would tack it in the Department of Defense Authorization bill. It is a bill that allows undocumented youth to legalize their status by joining the U.S. Military or by attending college education.

It applies to immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before 16, have been in the country at least five years and have a U.S. high-school diploma or equivalent. It would let them become U.S. residents after they've spent two years in college or the military.

President Barack Obama also supports the bill.

Meanwhile, the White House hosted an on-the-record conference call with Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on Friday, Dec. 3, to discuss the DREAM Act, and “why it’s important to our nation’s competitiveness in today’s global economy."

The former Washington State governor was joined on the call by the President of Regent University Dr. Carlos Campo, UCLA Chancellor Dr. Gene Block, and the President of Miami-Dade College Dr. Eduardo Padron. # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at:  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)