Senator Richard Durbin Speaking at the NCLR Conference

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) spoke at the National Council of La Raza Conference about immigration reform and the Dream Act.

Thanks to Kyle of Citizen Orange for providing the video.

Floor Statement on DREAM Act and Immigration Reform

Today, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) gave a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives about the Dream Act and Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Here is what he had to say.

In-State Tuition in Wisconsin

Yesterday, Wisconsin became the 11th state to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at its state schools. The provision was included in the state budget which was signed by governor Jim Doyle.

To qualify, students most have attended high school in the state for at least 3 years and have graduated from a Wisconsin high school or earned a GED from the state and have also lived in the state for 3 years. Students will also be required to sign an affidavit of intent to legalize their status whenever possible.

Congratulations to Dreamers in Wisconsin. Hopefully this is the start to a much needed reform at the federal level.

Dream Act Special on AC 360

Here is a perfect example of why the Dream Act should pass ASAP. They also show the type of hateful people with baseless opposition to the bill.




Thanks to all the UCLA Dreamers that participated in the interview.

Dream Act Co-Sponsors

The Senate bill (S. 729) has 32 co-sponsors.

The House bill (H.R. 1751) has 105 co-sponsors.

(As of November 4, 2009)

The complete list of co-sponsors can be seen by following the links provided.

Senate

Sen Lugar, Richard G. [IN] - 3/26/2009
Sen Reid, Harry [NV] - 3/26/2009
Sen Martinez, Mel [FL] - 3/26/2009*
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 3/26/2009
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 3/26/2009
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] - 3/26/2009
Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] - 3/26/2009
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] - 3/30/2009
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] - 3/30/2009
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 3/30/2009
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 3/30/2009
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 3/30/2009
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 3/30/2009
Sen Murray, Patty [WA] - 3/30/2009
Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] - 3/30/2009
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 3/30/2009
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] - 3/31/2009
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA] - 3/31/2009
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] - 4/2/2009
Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA] - 4/22/2009
Sen Udall, Mark [CO] - 4/29/2009
Sen Burris, Roland [IL] - 5/11/2009
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] - 6/25/2009
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 9/21/2009
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] - 9/23/2009
Sen Bennet, Michael F. [CO] - 9/24/2009
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] - 9/30/2009
Sen Franken, Al [MN] - 10/5/2009
Sen Specter, Arlen [PA] - 10/14/2009
Sen Kaufman, Edward E. [DE] - 10/15/2009
Sen Levin, Carl [MI] - 10/20/2009
Sen Kohl, Herb [WI] - 11/4/2009

*Mel Martinez quit the U.S. Senate is September.



House of Representatives

Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - 3/26/2009
Rep Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [FL-21] - 3/26/2009
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 3/26/2009
Rep Nunes, Devin [CA-21] - 3/26/2009
Rep Polis, Jared [CO-2] - 3/26/2009
Rep Cao, Anh "Joseph" [LA-2] - 3/26/2009
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - 3/26/2009
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] - 3/26/2009
Rep Diaz-Balart, Mario [FL-25] - 3/26/2009
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 3/31/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 3/31/2009
Rep Hinojosa, Ruben [TX-15] - 3/31/2009
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] - 3/31/2009
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 3/31/2009
Rep Gonzalez, Charles A. [TX-20] - 3/31/2009
Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5] - 3/31/2009
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] - 3/31/2009
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 3/31/2009
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 3/31/2009
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] - 3/31/2009
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 4/21/2009
Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] - 4/21/2009
Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] - 4/21/2009
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 4/21/2009
Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] - 4/21/2009
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] - 4/21/2009
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] - 4/21/2009
Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] - 4/21/2009
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - 4/21/2009
Rep Davis, Susan A. [CA-53] - 4/21/2009
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - 4/21/2009
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 4/21/2009
Rep Meek, Kendrick B. [FL-17] - 4/22/2009
Rep Carson, Andre [IN-7] - 4/22/2009
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 4/22/2009
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 4/22/2009
Rep Wu, David [OR-1] - 4/22/2009
Rep Reyes, Silvestre [TX-16] - 4/23/2009
Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] - 4/27/2009
Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-11] - 4/30/2009
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] - 4/30/2009
Rep Quigley, Mike [IL-5] - 4/30/2009
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 4/30/2009
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] - 5/5/2009
Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2] - 5/7/2009
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1] - 5/7/2009
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 5/7/2009
Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] - 5/7/2009
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] - 5/7/2009
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 5/7/2009
Rep Harman, Jane [CA-36] - 5/7/2009
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 5/7/2009
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 5/7/2009
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] - 5/13/2009
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] - 5/14/2009
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] - 5/14/2009
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 5/14/2009
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 5/19/2009
Rep Maffei, Daniel B. [NY-25] - 5/20/2009
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 5/20/2009
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 5/20/2009
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] - 5/20/2009
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 6/2/2009
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 6/2/2009
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 6/2/2009
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 6/2/2009
Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] - 6/8/2009
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] - 6/9/2009
Rep Rodriguez, Ciro D. [TX-23] - 6/10/2009
Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] - 6/10/2009
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 6/19/2009
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 6/19/2009
Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] - 6/19/2009
Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] - 6/23/2009
Rep Smith, Adam [WA-9] - 6/23/2009
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] - 6/23/2009
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] - 6/23/2009
Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] - 6/23/2009
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 6/23/2009
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - 6/25/2009
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - 7/9/2009
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 7/9/2009
Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] - 7/9/2009
Rep Delahunt, Bill [MA-10] - 7/10/2009
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - 7/14/2009
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - 7/15/2009
Rep Sarbanes, John P. [MD-3] - 7/15/2009
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 7/28/2009
Rep Green, Gene [TX-29] - 7/28/2009
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] - 7/28/2009
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] - 7/28/2009
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32] - 9/8/2009
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] - 9/8/2009
Rep Tonko, Paul D. [NY-21] - 9/8/2009
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 9/8/2009
Rep Heinrich, Martin [NM-1] - 9/8/2009
Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] - 9/14/2009
Rep Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] - 9/15/2009
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 9/24/2009
Rep Snyder, Vic [AR-2] - 10/8/2009
Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] - 10/20/2009
Rep Becerra, Xavier [CA-31] - 10/21/2009
Rep Sestak, Joe [PA-7] - 10/28/2009
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - 10/28/2009
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 11/3/2009

I would like to thank all the members of Congress who have added their names to the co-sponsor list. They will be getting thank you notes.

Official Text of the Dream Act

Both the Senate and House bills have been uploaded to the "Thomas" page of the Library of Congress Website.

The Senate Bill is here.

The House bill is here.

Dream Act Changes

So far I've only been able to read the Senate version of the bill, S.729, and there have been two major changes made to the bill.

The bill that was voted on by the Senate in October of 2007 had and age limit of 30. This time the age limit has been raised to 35.

The other change is the in-state tuition language. The last bill left it up to the states to decide whether to provide in-state tuition to Dreamers or not. The new bill has the in-state tuition option.

EDIT: Here is the link to the text of the bill. I will post the official text for both bills when they are added to the Library of Congress website.

Dream Act Bills Numbers

The Senate Bill is S. 729.

The House Bill is H.R. 1751.

As of this post, the Senate bill has 7 co-sponsors, and the House bill has 9.

Dream Act Re-Introduced In Congress

The Dream Act was re-introduced today in both chambers of Congress. According to a press release from the National Immigration Law Center, the bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Lieberman (I- CT) Mel Martinez (R-FL), and Harry Reid (D-NV), and in the House of Representatives by Howard Berman (D-CA), Joseph Cao (R-LA), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Devin Nunez (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA).

More information coming soon.

Dream Act in 8th Place at Change.org

Out of 7,847 ideas and 656,991 votes, The "Pass the Dream Act- Support Higher Education for All Students" made it to 8th place with 12,010 votes. Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for our idea.

The top 10 ideas were announced this morning at the National Press Club.

Some of the people present at the event were:
Speakers: Chris Hughes, director of My.BarackObama.com and co-founder of Facebook

Jose Antonio Vargas, political reporter for the Washington Post

Joe Trippi, Senior Advisor to John Edwards' 2008 Presidential
Campaign; Campaign Manager of Howard Dean's 2004 Presidential
Campaign

Lee Brenner, Political Director at MySpace (available for on-site
and phone interviews)

Macon Phillips, Director of New Media, Presidential Transition
Team

Change.org will now be working with several non-profit sponsors for each idea. Together they will launch a national advocacy campaign to translate this idea into national policy.

Dream Act vs. Comprehensive Immigration Reform

One of the big questions many people have coming into this new session of Congress in regards to immigration is: Will the Dream Act get voted on as a stand alone bill or will it be part of the bigger package that is Comprehensive Immigration Reform? We know that the Dream Act will be introduce as a stand alone bill just like it has it recent years but from there it always gets stuck with CIR. Although we want to see the big package go through, we prefer to have the Dream Act considered by itself because we believe it has a better chance of passing that way.

Last week I called in to a national conference call held by Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Frank Sharry of America's Voice, David Mermin of Lake Research Partners, and Simon Rosenberg, President of NDN. The general consensus seems to be that they want to bring up the whole package. Congressman Gutierrez said that President-elect Obama is still very committed to Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Frank Sharry said, when answering a question from Teresa Watanabe, an L.A. Times reporter, that he believes CIR will come up for a vote first and if it fails again, Congress would than try a piecemeal approach that would include the Dream Act. Sharry believes that one of the driving forces that will pressure a CIR bill to come up is the issue of family reunification. Families are being torn apart by the current enforcement only approach.

Sharry is not the only one who thinks that CIR will come up first. An article in the Economist mentions the possibility that Dream will come up after CIR fails or if no one is willing to come up with a "grand bargain".

If there is to be no grand bargain, lesser steps may be taken. Farmers, who have political clout and a perpetual hunger for cheap labour, may be allowed to hire more seasonal workers. “Americans still aren’t rushing to pick lettuces in 115º heat,” notes Glenn Hamer, president of Arizona’s chamber of commerce. The DREAM Act, which would enable some illegal aliens who were brought to America as children to become residents, may be revived.

Senator Kyl of Arizona, who was one of the key senators in the 2007 negotiations already seems to be reluctant to take the lead in the coming Congress. But some of the senators that were involved in those negotiations are still making immigration a key issue. They include Senator McCain, who luckily seems to be back to his old self, and his good friend Senator Graham.

Whatever the case may be, stand alone or part of CIR, we are ready to make the Dream Act a reality in 2009.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Many groups have been calling for the Obama administration to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Some groups are already lobbying the new administration by submitting official documents with policy recommendations. They include: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, and The U.S. Conference of Mayors (Part 2).

They want the government to create a path to legalization and eventually citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the country. They recommend that Congress pass legislation similar to the one that was considered in 2007 by the senate which was sponsored by Senators Kennedy, McCain, Kyl, and Graham. And in the House of Representatives called the Strive Act sponsored by Representatives Gutierrez and Flake.

Both of these bi-partisan bills contain the Dream Act.

National Association for College Admission Counseling

The National Association for College Admission Counseling has submitted an official document to the Obama team in which they voice their support, and recommend the immediate passage of the Dream Act. The document can be found in the "Your Seat at the Table" section of the Obama-Biden Transition website, change.gov.

Here's what they had to say:

Undocumented Students
According to the Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in Plyer v. Doe, students brought to this country as minors have the right to public elementary and secondary education.
Unfortunately, a gap in immigration law prevents these students from pursuing citizenship, even if they attend and graduate from college. NACAC recommends the immediate passage of the DREAM Act, which would provide paths to citizenship for qualifying undocumented students, and would return to the states the right to determine eligibility for in-state tuition.

The Facts

The latest post at Dreamactivist.org called "The Gross Failure of Immigration Attack Ads" shows that hate groups will make up anything to justify their racist and xenophobic views. The post summarizes a made up statistic used by many anti-immigration hate groups: "80% of Americans want illegal aliens out of this country". Funny thing is they never post a source for that number.

Let me give you the right number that comes for a credible source.

Only 25%-35% favor "enforcement only" or "mass deportation"

A majority, 51%-83%, favor comprehensive immigration reform that includes legalization of undocumented immigrants.

Those numbers come from these sources. NIF survey of 2007 polls from Washington Post/ABC News, FOX News, NY Times/CBS News, Miami Herald/Zogby, LA Times/Bloomberg, Gallup/USA Today, Pew Research Center, and several university studies.

To get the more facts please read my previous post.

Immigration Myths

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report called "Immigration Myths and The Facts Behind The Fallacies"

Here's a quick summary of the nine myths refuted by the report.

MYTH: Immigrants take jobs from Americans.
FACT: Immigrants create new jobs, and complement the skills of the
U.S. native workforce.

The U.S. workforce is becoming older and better educated, and yet there is still a need for
low-skilled workers. In the 1960s, about half of the men in the United States joined the
low-skilled labor force; now it is only about 10%. Replacing the baby boomers through 2016 is expected to generate 33.4 million job openings, while economic growth is expected to create an
additional 17.4 million job openings.

Growth in immigration is a form of labor replacement for the aging U.S. workforce. For
example, a study of immigrants in Arkansas found that from 2000 to 2005, the native born
population in that state did not grow at all, while the number of immigrants rose,
slowing the decline of the Arkansas manufacturing sector. As numerous studies have
shown, undocumented immigrants usually arrive in the United States when the economy is
growing and move to areas where there is strong job growth. The U.S. unemployment rate
remains relatively low at 6.1%,7 and economists have found that if there is any relationship
between immigration and unemployment, it is that higher immigration is associated with
lower overall unemployment.


MYTH: Immigrants drive down the wages of American workers.
FACT: Immigrants increase overall economic productivity and have no
significant effect on overall wages for American workers.

Economist Giovanni Peri measured immigration’s impact over the span of a decade, and
his study revealed that the average yearly wages of U.S. native-born workers increased
1.8% because of immigration.


MYTH: Immigrants will cause massive, unnecessary population growth
in the United States.
FACT: As the baby boomer generation begins to retire and the U.S.
fertility rate declines, it will be necessary to replace our aging
workforce with immigrants to maintain economic growth.

While the overall population will increase, the baby boomer generation will begin to
retire, changing the entire dynamic of the U.S. population and workforce. The U.S. Census
Bureau found that women are now ending their childbearing years with an average of 1.9
children each, which is below the 2.1 needed for replacement-level fertility. Further, over
the last 40 years, women entered the workforce in record numbers, helping to increase U.S.
economic development and productivity, but the labor force participation rate is expected
to remain flat at around 66%.21 While the population is growing at about 0.9% annually,
without immigration, the workforce would likely shrink. The aging workforce, combined
with lower fertility and no expected increase in labor force participation, has the potential
to lower GDP and economic growth.

Immigration is expected to help the U.S. economy fill the labor force gap as the baby boomers retire. To maintain an annual GDP growth between 2% and 3% the U.S. economy will need workers to fill jobs as the baby boomers retire.


MYTH: Undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes.
FACT: Undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in taxes
each year, often for services they will never receive.

Undocumented immigrants pay the same taxes that all U.S. residents pay.
Immigrants actually have a positive impact on the solvency of Social Security and Medicare—in 2007, the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trustees Report noted that 100,000 net new immigrants a year would increase the long-range actuarial balance by approximately 0.07% of taxable payroll. There is more than $586 billion in the unmatched SSA file, and it is growing by $66 billion a year. This is because taxes paid by undocumented immigrants.

Many undocumented immigrants, if not through payroll taxes, also obtain Tax
Identification Numbers (TINs) to pay taxes because they want to ensure that they are
obeying the law.
Undocumented immigrants also purchase goods and services where they live and pay
sales tax on those goods, as well as property taxes. In Colorado alone, undocumented
immigrants paid between $159 million and $194 million through state and local sales,
property, and income taxes. In Georgia, the average undocumented family contributed
between $2,340 and $2,470 in local and state sales, property, and income taxes. In
Oregon, undocumented workers paid between $134 and $187 million a year in taxes, and
their employers contributed an additional $97 to $136 million a year in taxes.


MYTH: Immigrants come to the United States for welfare benefits.
FACT: The law forbids immigrants from using welfare services.

Immigrants, even legal immigrants, do not have access to most welfare benefits, under
the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, until they have been
legal permanent residents for at least five years.

Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for: food stamps, Social
Security, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,
Medicaid (except for emergency services), Medicare “Premium Free” Part A, and public
housing and Section 8 programs.

Research has shown that immigrants use public services less than natives, and the
immigrant groups that do use public services are refugee groups, not undocumented
immigrants. Many states, such as Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas, have completed studies
which found that immigrants have a positive net fiscal impact on their state budgets.
In Florida, immigrants pay nearly $1,500 per year more in taxes than they receive in
benefits.


MYTH: The Government should just enforce the law to solve our
immigration problems.
FACT: Enforcement alone will not solve our immigration problems. The
cost would be prohibitive, it would have a detrimental effect on
the U.S. economy, and it would simply push certain immigrants
further into the underground economy.

Rounding up and deporting the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in
the United States would take an enormous amount of effort and money. Deporting
undocumented immigrants would cost at least $206 billion over five years, or roughly $41
billion annually over five years. These costs currently exceed the entire budget for the
Department of Homeland Security.45

If all the undocumented were removed from the country, the immediate negative effect
would be $1.76 trillion in annual lost spending and $651.51 billion in annual lost output.

MYTH: Immigrants are not assimilating.
FACT: Immigrants are assimilating at much the same rate as past
waves of immigrants.

Every wave of immigrants have been accused of not assimilating into American society.
The high demand and long waiting list for English language classes around the country
indicate that many new immigrants have a strong desire to learn English. The best way to measure how well a group is assimilating is to look at the next generation. The vast majority (88%) of Hispanic U.S.-born adult children (second generation) speak English very well.


MYTH: Immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than
U.S. natives.
FACT: Immigrants have a much lower incarceration rate than
U.S. natives.

The incarceration rate for immigrants is actually much lower than for U.S. natives.
The incarceration rate for immigrants is actually much lower than for U.S. natives.
From the 2000 census, the incarceration rate of native-born men ages 18 to 39 was
actually five times higher than the rate for foreign-born men (3.5% compared to 0.7%,
respectively).


MYTH: Workers that come to the United States as temporary workers
will stay in the country once their visas expire.
FACT: Historically, migrants from Mexico worked in the United
States for a few months or years, but then returned home.
Border enforcement has made that pattern much more
difficult.

One study during the 1990s found that about one-third of all Mexican migrants returned home each year, and about 70% returned home after five years. Presently, there are very few legal visas available for someone who simply wants to come and work in the United States. These programs do not meet all of the United States’ economic needs.


For more immigration myths, please visit Truth in Immigration and click on Myths

At The Table With Barack Obama

Last Week the Obama team decided to give every American a "seat at the table". Basically what they did was provide information on all policy documents that have been submitted in official meetings with outside organizations. One of the first meetings took place on November 14 with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. In the documents they submitted they ask Obama to make Comprehensive Immigration Reform a theme in his first State of The Union Address. They also ask for the Dream Act to be passed in his first year in office.

Immigration: Congress and the Administration should demonstrate a solid commitment to comprehensive immigration reform – starting, as a downpayment, with the swift enactment of bipartisan legislation such as the DREAM Act (H.R. 1275/S. 2205)

It's a confort to know that there are other organizations lobbying and supporting us. It is even better that the Dream Act is drawing a lot of attention from civil rights organizations like the LCCR. Like I said in one of my previous post, finally they are putting the Dream Act into the right category. Not just Immigration, but Civil Rights.

Caroline Kennedy to Replace Clinton?

It could happen according to a report from ABC News.

A Democrat who would know tells ABC News that New York governor David Paterson has talked to Caroline Kennedy about taking the seat, which was once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. It’s not exactly shocking that Paterson would reach out to one of the most highly respected public figures in New York, but this is: Sources say Kennedy is considering it, and has not ruled out coming to Washington to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

Caroline Kennedy replacing Hilary Clinton makes a lot of sense. She already has ties to President-elect Barack Obama when she was part of the Vice-Presidential search committee.

I think she would be a strong supporter of Immigration Reform and the Dream Act considering that her father, John F. Kennedy, fought to change the immigration system that was in place until 1965. After his death, her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, continued the fight until the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965 which completely changed the demographics of this country. He also has been the main supporter of Comprehensive Immigration Reform now and a co-sponsor of the Dream Act.

I hope she takes the job.

Thousands of Children Deported and Abandoned

According to this article, thousands of children have not only been deported to Mexico but they have also been abandoned at the border.

A report published recently by the Mexican Congress indicates that 90,000 children were deported from the United States to Mexico during the first seven months of 2008. Of these, 15 percent, or about 13,500 children, were abandoned on the Mexican side of the border without any governmental protection.

The report says that international standards require that the children be greeted by someone in their home country, but the U.S. government is failing to meet those standards and it's just leaving them uncared for at the border. These kids have no one to care for them. Who knows what happens to most of them.

This is just one more example of the abominable injustice towards immigrants and special children. It is despicable that this government would treat kids like this.

Yet one more reason why the Dream Act is needed. We need to stop all this unjust acts. Separation children form their families and abandoning them is just repugnant.

Creating Second Class Citizens....? Againg?

Conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, in a conversation with Fred Barnes and Charles Krauthammer about immigration reform said this.

HH: That’s exactly what I believe, with the possible exception I don’t believe in allowing, I don’t call it amnesty, I call it regularization, because I don’t want people to be able to vote.

Complete conversation here

He actually said he was a moderate on immigration and would be open to legalization after the border fence is built. But I take issue with the last line of his quote. Not be able to vote? Seriously?

First of all, I hope he realizes that whatever immigration bill gets passed, whether it be the Dream Act or Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the beneficiaries won't become citizens right away. We would have to go through the process of conditional residency, than permanent residency and finally citizenship. That's going to take a few years.
I also hope that he knows that residents are not allowed to vote. If he meant residents voting than would make his comment completely unnecessary and kind of ignorant. But if he meant that we shouldn't be allowed to vote even after becoming citizens, than what does that say about him?

How would that be any different than when blacks were not allowed to vote and they weren't even considered a whole person for Congressional representative purposes. What's next? A three fifths compromise for beneficiaries of an immigration bill? Or how about when woman didn't have the right to vote? Is that what he wants to create? Second class citizens all over again. A group of "citizens" but without citizen rights.
Does he also want to take our right to free speech? Freedom of religion? Assembly? Maybe he should go back and check that thing called THE CONSTITUTION. Maybe than he will realize the ignorance and stupidity of his comments.

I can understand his fear after the events of November 4. You know when Americans, by a large margin, elected a Democrat as president and a bunch more Democrats to the House and Senate. Maybe he's just scare of having 12 million more people voting for Democrats.

A Matter of Civil Rights

Finally someone is putting the Dream Act into the right category. Civil Rights.
From CBS News

Civil rights: After the failure of sweeping immigration overhaul, Democrats scaled back their effort to focus on the DREAM Act. The legislation would have halted deportation efforts of children who are here illegally, giving them citizenship opportunities if they entered the country before age 16 and have lived here for five years.

That bill was blocked after receiving 52 votes, but four supporters were not present. For the 111th Congress, seven Democrats will replace Republicans who voted against the bill. Barring a push for broader immigration restructuring by Obama, Senate aides said this smaller measure should have enough support to pass.

For a long time, I've wanting for someone in the main stream media to put this issue in the category of civil rights. This bill would ultimately give us the chance to continue our education. Last time I check that was a civil right.

Playing By The Rules

So what happens when you play by the rules? Well, you get left out of the country.
That's what happened to this extremely talented student when she decided to play by the rules and "get in line".

Daniella Aguado wanted to be an english teacher ever since high school, and at 21 years old, she has succeeded.

Out of over 800 seniors, Daniella graduated in the top 15, with well above a 4.0 GPA.

She was in the National Honor Society and tutored other students which led her to teaching.

"She was the type of person that gets things done yesterday. If I had a student aide like her every year, I could probably do this for another 15 years." recalls Jeff Lewis.

She was granted a scholarship to Brigham Young University but she couldn't get it because she was undocumented. She decided to go back to Mexico, alone, and apply to come back legally with a student visa. She was denied and now she can't come back.

When are these people going to realize that this country needs more Daniellas? She is one the best and brightest and she should be here getting her degree here so she can go on to become a teacher and help others. She is not a liability, she is an extremely valuable asset and we are missing out on it.
The sad part is that she is now separated from her family and she does not know when they will be able to reunite. This is exactly why the Dream Act is needed. To keep talented people like Aguado in this country to help us be a better society. What a waste of investment.

Take a look at this video

Dream Act FAQ

Q. What is the Dream Act?
A. The Dream Act is a bill introduced by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) that is being considered in the U.S. Congress.

Q. Who does the Dream Act benefit?
A. The Dream Act would benefit undocumented students, also known as “Dreamers”, that were brought to the United States before the age of 16 and have been in the country for at least 5 years.

Q. How can someone qualify for the Dream Act?
A. A person is eligible if they enter before the age of 16, have been in the U.S. for at least 5 years, completed high school or achieved a GED and go on to complete at least 2 years of college or serve in the military for at least 2 years.

Q. What would undocumented students get if the bill passed?
A. They would be granted temporary legal residency for 6 years. At the end of those six years they would be able to adjust to permanent legal residency if they complete the require time in college or the military.

Q. Can undocumented students currently attend college?
A. Yes. Currently there is no federal law preventing undocumented students from attending an institution of higher learning. However, each institution has different policies to deal with undocumented students and some of them will not allow them to attend.

Q. Are Dreamers eligible for in-state tuition?
A. They are eligible in only 11 states. These states are, Texas, California, Utah, Washington, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Each state has specific requirements for eligibility. Some of the requirements are, but not limited to,

• Attend (usually for at least 3 years) and graduate from a high school within the state and
• Sign an affidavit of intend to legalize whenever possible.

Q. Do Dreamers qualify for scholarships?
A. Most scholarships require legal status but there are some private scholarships that do not discriminate against a student’s immigration status.

Q. What is the current status of the Dream Act?
A. The Dream Act was defeated in the U.S. Senate on October 24, 2007 by a vote of 52-44, with four senators not voting. The 111th Congress will start on January 3 2009 and there is a lot of hope that the bill will pass this time.
The Dream Act was re-introduced on March 26, 2009 in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Immigration To Be Ignored In '08?

Mayors from all over the country came to Washington D.C. Friday for a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting. While there, they were told in meetings on Capitol Hill that immigration won't be address this year. "The message that immigration reform — comprehensive and practicable — is not going to be addressed for a year or two is unacceptable. It's outrageous," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. "This country is in an economic, public safety and a social crisis because immigration hasn't been addressed at the level that it needs to be addressed at — and that's at Congress."
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was also there. "It is a lot easier for politicians — especially those that we see now running for president — to rather than face the issue responsibly and do something about the issue, to use it rather as an issue for political gain," Diaz said. He also said that the candidates are only playing politics with the topic and are not serious about changing the current system.

It's sad to see that politicians have no regard for the life's of millions of people who are affected by this issue. Not only that, but they have no regard for the country they supposedly love and swore to serve and do what's best for its people. It is still incredible to me how an issue this big that affects so many millions of people can just be ignored. It is clear to me that most of these politicians only care about themselves and nothing else, not us, and clearly not The United States of America.

For how long can this issue be ignored?

Michigan Primary

Mitt Romney has won the Michigan primary, beating John McCain who had won that state in 2000 and who won New Hampshire a few days back. Hilary Clinton was the only leading Democrat to have her name on the ballot and obviously she won. Romney has won 42 delegates which puts him in first place over Mike Huckabee who has 32. As I explained in my previous post, the Democrats didn't have any delegates to win.

New Hampshire Primary

New Hampshire residents came out to vote yesterday at their primaries in big numbers. Senator John McCain took an early win for the second time in that state. He was also the winner in the 2000 primaries. He now moves on to Michigan, a state he also won in 2000, but is the birthplace of ex-Governor Mitt Romney. The Michigan Primary will take place January 15. The Democratic results took longer due to how close the vote was. At the end, Senator Hilary Clinton prevailed. This was a big win for Clinton, specially after many people predicted another Obama win.

On the national overview, Obama still has the lead having already won 25 delegates. Clinton is a close second with 24, and John Edwards is third with 18. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee leads with with 31 delegates. Romney, who won the forgotten Wyoming caucus, is second with 19, and McCain, the N.H. winner, is third with 7. Democrats need 2,209 delegates in order to win the nomination. Republicans need 1,259.

While Republicans are now focused on Michigan, Democrats shifted their focus on to Nevada, which will take place January 19. The reason for this is because Michigan moved their primary to an earlier date despite opposition from the Democratic National Committee, and in result they have been stripped of all their delegates. Although not as harsh, the Republican National Committee also punished Michigan by taking away half of their delegates.

Clinton is the only top-tier democratic candidate participating in the Michigan primaries. Obama and Edwards have pulled their names out. Many people in Michigan are frustrated because they won't be able to vote for the candidate of their choice. Michigan holds an open primary which means Democrats and Independents may vote at the Republican primary and vice versa.

Iowa Caucus

The results are in. On the Democratic side Senator Barack Obama is the winner. Former Arkansas' Governor Mike Huckabee is the Republican winner. The focus now shifts to New Hampshire. So how does this benefit our cause? Barack Obama has been a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform and the Dream Act. Mike Huckabee's immigration plan is not what we where hoping for, but he has a record of being compassionate towards undocumented students while being governor of Arkansas.

There was a record turnout out on the Democrats side which can only mean that people want change and they want a democrat in the White House. Two democrats dropped out of the race after putting up disappointing numbers. Sens. Joseph Biden (Del) and Christopher Dodd (Conn.) abandoned their chase for the White House. I expect that on the Republican side, Hunter will be the first one to drop.

After winning the Iowa caucus, Obama gave a beautiful speech. It was very inspiring.

Here it is.

Tancredo Drops Out

Congressman Tom Tancredo finally realized that he had absolutely no chance at getting the Republican domination and has officially dropped out of the race. Tancredo kept polling under 1% in many states. The Colorado congressman must be surprised to know that apparently Americans care about issues other than immigration and since Tancredo was a one-issue candidate, he pretty much had no support. He is now endorsing Mitt Romney, which makes me dislike Romney even more.
"For the same reason that I launched the campaign, I must now end it," Tancredo said. He launched his campaign mainly because of illegal immigration. He links everything that is wrong with the country to illegal immigration, but is he actually blaming the failure of his campaign on illegal immigration?
Although he never had a chance this is good news. The better news is that back in October Tancredo said that he would not seek reelection for The House of Representatives.

Fifth Grader Questions Obama About Immigration

Watch the video here.

The kid is in fifth grade so I doubt that he knows much about the subject. There are many adults who don't know much about the subject. He was probably just repeating something he heard form an adult close to him. The sad part is that there are people out there who actually believe this stuff.

I like the answer Obama gave him. Again, he said that he supports a path towards the legalization of the 12 million undocumented immigrants.

Giuliani's New Ad

Former New York City Major and Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has just launched a new t.v. ad in New Hampshire about immigration. (Here it is) "What we need here is leadership. Build a fence. Train the border patrol. Have a BorderStat system. Have a tamper-proof ID card. And then if you become a citizen you have to be able to read English, write English, speak English, and understand American civics" Giuliani says on his new ad.

That's all great Mr. Giuliani, but how exactly are the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants supposed to become U.S. citizens? Are you saying that you support a path to citizenship? Are you saying that if you're here illegally but know all these things already, you should be given citizenship? What exactly is your plan now?

The former mayor has said in past debates that he is not in favor of a path to legalization, so I'm not sure what he would do if elected president. It seems to me like Rudy is getting desperate in New Hampshire where he trails Mitt Romney in the polls. I think this new ad raises more questions than it answers.

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GOP Spanish-Language Debate

It finally happened, the republicans finally agreed to have a debate that would be seen on the Spanish-Language network Univision. Although first scheduled to take place back in September, the debate didn't happen until last Sunday because Sen. John McCain was the only GOP presidential hopeful who agreed to do it. This time most of them agreed to come to the University of Miami and have the debate which many accurately guessed would discuss in great part the controversial immigration issue. Notably missing (or not) was Rep. Tom Tancredo who boycotted the debate because according to him the idea of a debate in Spanish is "un-American". The Colorado Congressman said that his fellow Republicans were aiding immigrants in breaking the law by participating in this weekends debate. Apparently the Congressman thinks that anyone who speaks a language other than English is a criminal. No wonder he keeps polling under 1% in many states.

The debate took place less than four weeks before the first votes of the primary race are set to be casted in Iowa were Mike Huchabee now holds the lead. Unlike in past debates, the candidates avoided harsh answers when asked about illegal immigration. They did however, emphasized the need to secure the borders. Giuliani, Huckabee, Thompson and Romney made it clear that they would not favor a special path toward citizenship for the estimated 12 million immigrants in the Unites States illegally. Huckabee released a new plan were 12 million people would have to leave the country and reapply for entry. Well, good luck with that one. What happened to "America is better than that" Governor? Apparently, your not better than that.

It wasn't long ago that former New York City Major Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney highly criticized each other on the subject. Romney accusing the major of creating a "sanctuary" city, and Giuliani accusing the governor of hiring undocumented immigrants to fix his house in Massachusetts. If you didn't see the debated, here's the video of that part.



Senator John McCain seems to be the only GOP White House hopeful that understands the importance on the Hispanic vote. The Arizona Senator warned that harsh immigration views voiced by some Republicans have driven Hispanics away from the party. Apparently the other Republican candidates have already forgotten that it was the Hispanic vote that unfortunately gave President Bush the advantage in 2004, and more important in 2000. Hispanics now make up the largest minority in the U.S. yet these candidates seem to be ignoring that fact. About 57% of registered Hispanic voters are democrats according to the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center. Only 23% of them align with the Republicans. Maybe they'll learn after the 2008 elections.

The Dream Act

The Dream Act is a bill that would provide a path to legalization for undocumented students. It is not amnesty! This legislation would give children, who were brought to the U.S. before the age of 16, have had a presence in the country for at least five consecutive years, have good moral character, have completed at least two years of college or served in the military for at least two years, and are under the age of 30, a chance of becoming legal residents and eventually U.S. citizens. These children, although not officially, are just as American as their native born counterparts. They want to go to school and become doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers etc. All they want is to contribute to society and to this country, and thereby improving the country.

The Dream Act took a major hit in late October when it failed to reach the 60 votes it needed to pass a cloture motion. The majority of the senate did vote in favor but it wasn't enough to proceed with the bill. The bill might be dead for now, but the hope is still alive. Sooner or later this issue and this bill is going to come back and lets hope that a new President can work together with a new Congress to resolve this problem.

This bill does not take anything away from American citizens. The beneficiaries of this bill would not be eligible for any federal grants. To go to college, these students would have to come up with the money to pay for their classes on their own by obtaining loans or working to earn the money needed.

SEC. 10. HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE.

Notwithstanding any provision of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), with respect to assistance provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), an alien who adjusts status to that of a lawful permanent resident under this Act shall be eligible only for the following assistance under such title:

(1) Student loans under parts B, D, and E of such title IV, subject to the requirements of such parts.

(2) Federal work-study programs under part C of such title IV, subject to the requirements of such part.

(3) Services under such title IV, subject to the requirements for such services.

Here is the complete text of the Senate bill.

If you want more information about the Dream Act and some of its beneficiaries, head over to the Dream Act Portal and click on "Discussion Forum" to learn more.

I'll leave you with some words about the Dream Act from the Senate Majority Whip, Senator Dick Durbin, the main sponsor of the bill.

Welcome

Welcome to The Political Scoop. My plans for this blog are to write about several issues in politics that we are facing today. Although I will try to write about many political subjects, I will emphasize the much controversial immigration issue. I will also try to clear up several misconceptions that are floating around about undocumented immigrants, and hopefully you will all have a better understanding of the issue. More important, I plan to write about a group of young people who are being punish for the actions of their parents. "Dreamers" are undocumented students who were brought to this country without their consent. The only mistake they made was being to young to decide what to do for themselves.

Everyone agrees immigration is a problem that needs to be fix, the question is: How do we fix it? Many plans have been brought up for discussion in the last couple of years, but obviously nothing has been implemented yet. As we get closer to the beginning of a new administration, the hope that the Dream will pass is growing once again.