Vote will be close

Immigration Fight Flares Again As Capitol Hill Mulls DREAM

BY SEAN HIGGINS

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted 9/25/2007

Months after the last immigration reform push crashed and burned, the Senate is on the verge of trying one more time.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is pushing to add his DREAM Act as an amendment to the defense authorization bill.

The amendment would create a path to legalization for certain immigrants brought to the U.S. at 15 years old or younger if they go to college or join the military.

Proponents say it's a narrower bill that would target the most deserving illegal immigrants. Opponents say it's just another amnesty bill that would encourage more people to sneak across the border.

A vote is expected later this week but the outcome is uncertain. The amendment has bipartisan support in the Senate but even proponents concede it will be close.

The vote was initially set for early this week but was pushed back after calls started pouring into senators' offices.

NumbersUSA, an immigration restrictionist group, says it has pledges from just 21 senators to oppose it.

Many Senators Undecided

Several lawmakers said they simply hadn't made up their minds.

"It all depends on what is in it and where it comes up," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Kyl had been a key backer of the last immigration-reform bill but indicated he was leaning against this one.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., similarly said he had several concerns.

"I want to look at the specifics of it. Also, I'm not sure the defense bill is the place for it," Webb said. He added that he supports the basic idea, though.

The bill would create a pathway to legalization for immigrants who had been brought to the country as children and are under 30 years of age.

If they could prove five years' residency, a high school degree and take either two years of higher education (a community college would be sufficient) or serve two years in the military, they would be eligible for green cards.

School records would be used in most cases to verify residency and other requirements.

DREAM Act students also would be eligible to sponsor their spouses and minor children for legal status.

It is the enlistment provision that makes it eligible to be an amendment to the defense bill. Contrary to some reports, they would not be required to enlist.

"What this allows is young people who've knocked on recruiters' doors and been turned away (due to their immigration status) to sign up with Congress' say-so," said Lt. Col. Margaret Stock, an associate professor at West Point.

Critics see it as little more than an amnesty for young illegal immigrants. Caroline Espinosa, spokeswoman for NumbersUSA, says the students who would be affected are in "an unfortunate situation" but that doesn't justify the act.

"If we were to pass an amnesty, the result would be more parents putting their children at risk to bring them here illegally in the hopes that they would qualify for this or a future amnesty like it," Espinosa said.

She added that the potential for fraud could be high. While school and employment records can be used to verify age and education, they are not required, creating potential loopholes.

The Bright And Brave

Fans tout it as a twofer: A way to both help the most deserving of immigrants and to boost military recruiting at a time when the armed forces have sometimes struggled to meet quotas.

"These are students who do not have immigration status because they were brought here by their parents when they were very small," said Cecilia Munoz, of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's top Hispanic rights group.

Munoz says these young people deserve this special consideration. Most have known the U.S. as their only home, she says.

"Except for their legal status, they are already Americans," said Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is backing the act.

The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates 360,000 illegal aliens would become eligible for green cards under the amendment. Another 65,000 would become eligible annually.

One problem for supporters is that big business, usually a strong backer of immigration, is sitting out this fight. They see little benefit to them for the type of immigration the act would encourage.

Another key concern is whether students under the DREAM Act would be eligible for in-state tuition. Critics have seized on that as an argument against the bill.

"The original version of the DREAM Act repealed the federal law that prohibits a state from granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants," said Sen. Kyl. That's a deal breaker for him.

Joshua Bernstein, director of federal policy for the National Immigration Law Center, says that has been changed.

"There is no in-state tuition provision in there," he said.

It's Not Comprehensive

Some pro-immigration senators may not back it because they are set on comprehensive reform. The DREAM Act, some fear, would help the most compelling cases — leaving other cases unaddressed.

"We've heard a couple of arguments from offices that haven't decided yet," said the Catholic Bishops' Appleby. "One is that we shouldn't do this on a piecemeal basis. We need to do it comprehensively."

Does that mean the vote is set for Thursday or Friday?

That is basically what many of the senators like martinez have been saying... they don't want it attached to the DoD bill, they want to do a whole comprehensive bill....sigh which will not happen....
also it is not a requirement for military option is why some people think it shouldnt be attached to DoD bill.... sigh

Yeah from calling today all day today, I can draw that most offices are still undecided, however, we need to keep the pressure, on

Why in the world is IBD covering this? That is the strangest thing I've ever seen coming from that paper. Like I thought the Wall St Journal article must've had quite an impact.

Im not sure but the only person I heard about wanting comprehensive reform was Martinez. I bet Martinez was trying to assuage the Catholic Bishops and not seem like a backstabber to those holy men.

Those mother hefers want everything or nothing.

No. The author of this article is merely speculating. The senate is likely to finish defense bill pretty soon. Stay alert!

CALL!!! KEEP CALLING!!

ya they think a comprehensive will fail again without dream attached to it