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Immigration Reform: Harry Reid may bring the DREAM Act for a vote in 2010

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today that he will push the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) forward before the end of this year. In a statement, Senator Reid told reporters that he would consider pushing the DREAM Act as a separate piece of legislation this fall instead of including it in a broader comprehensive immigration reform package.

Even though the DREAM Act enjoys bipartisan support, many Republicans may not be willing to support broader immigration reform measures in an election year. The majority leader has stated that he would not consider immigration reform if he did not have 60 votes in the senate to pass a comprehensive reform package. But today, Reid told reporters that he plans to push immigration reform legislation this fall in a comprehensive way, and that if there is not support for a broader package, he would “take a real strong look at the DREAM Act” as a standalone piece of legislation. If enacted, the DREAM Act would serve as an important step towards comprehensive immigration reform.

Some Democrats seem to be divided on the political strategy. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi expressed her concern that taking out the parts that had broad support would “diminish the prospect for comprehensive immigration reform.”

Senator Dick Durbin, the bill’s sponsor, said he was open to the idea of separating the DREAM Act from larger reform efforts. In an interview with The Atlantic Monthly, he said “if there is an opportunity to move the bill as a standalone piece of legislation, we’ll certainly consider that option.”

Executive Director of America’s Voice, Frank Sharry, complimented Senator Reid for “doing the right thing.”

“We all know that comprehensive immigration reform is the only way to fix our nation’s dysfunctional immigration system once and for all. But the fact is, not one Republican is currently willing to work with Democrats on a comprehensive proposal because of election year politics. Senator Reid’s support for the DREAM Act – an immigration reform measure authored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) that would allow thousands of young people to earn legal immigration status and eventually citizenship if they go to college or serve in the military – gives the measure new momentum that could lead to its enactment this year.”

For the past two weeks, youth activists from across the country have lobbied senators in Washington D.C., urging them to co-sponsor and support the DREAM Act as a standalone bill. Many of these undocumented youth risked arrest and deportation as they protested in the Nation’s capitol.

Source !!!
http://all247news.com/immigration-re...-in-2010/2629/