- Senator Position: Sen. Ensign

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act (S. 729). I am grateful to hear from a fellow Nevadan, and it is always reassuring to see citizens taking an active role in the legislative process.



America has a rich tradition when it comes to immigration. Over the years, people from every nation have come to the United States in search of freedom and to pursue their dreams. The immigrant story is one of hope: hope for a better life for oneself and for one's children. The immigrant story is also one of assimilation and contribution to our great nation. By contributing to our country, immigrants have helped create an America of which we can all be proud and a society where we respect life and value liberty. These common values have brought us together as a people in times of crisis and help us appreciate the people of each nationality who have contributed to our great society.



That said, there are many challenges facing our country with respect to legal and illegal immigration. Considering these challenges, I believe that America should adopt immigration policies that are based, first and foremost, on meeting America's needs and the challenges we face. I support policies that would attract immigrants who will come to America to positively contribute to our society. There are many men and women serving in our nation's armed forces who are immigrants. They serve because of their love for this country and respect for our nation's values. They truly deserve to be called Americans. There are also people who have highly sought-after skills, such as advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These immigrants represent hope for continued scientific advancement, such as finding a cure for certain cancers. I believe that America is stronger because of immigrants like these, and I believe that America should seek them out and welcome them.



As you may know, in 1982 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that children in the country illegally be allowed access to public education from kindergarten through high school. This ruling, however, did not include access to postsecondary education. This issue was later addressed in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). A provision in the IIRIRA prohibits states from granting people in the country illegally certain postsecondary educational benefits unless equal benefits are also made available to U.S. citizens. Since 1996, ten states have chosen to amend their state laws and circumvent the IIRIRA to allow people in the country illegally access to postsecondary education without offering the same benefit to all U.S. citizens.



In the 110th Congress, I voted to oppose cloture on the DREAM Act because Senators were denied an opportunity to amend this contentious piece of legislation. The DREAM Act should include adequate safeguards to prevent fraud and abuse. Unfortunately, S. 729 only addresses a small part of the overall immigration problem and Congress should deal with this issue in a comprehensive overhaul of our nation's immigration laws.



You may be interested to know that the DREAM Act has been referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, of which I am not a member. Please rest assured that I will keep your views, and the views of all Nevadans, in mind should the full Senate consider legislation on this or any other legislation reforming our immigration system.



Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. If you should have further questions or comments or would like to sign up for my newsletter, please feel free to write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov.


Doesn't seem like he is against it, especially since an anti-immigrant was inquiring his position.