Quote:
Modest hopes for congressional action on small immigration proposals are fading, as Democrats in the Senate see no possible avenues for moving them forward.
Democratic leaders have effectively ruled out seeking a vote either on the Dream Act, which would give legal status to illegal-immigrant teens who join the military or go to college, or on similar legislation, according to Democratic aides familiar with the Senate floor plans. Chances aren’t much better for legislation addressing visas for skilled workers.
Early this year, Senate Democratic leaders and the White House discussed the possibility of forcing a vote on a narrowly tailored immigration measure, according to a leadership aide. Such a bill would have had little chance of passing the Senate, but it might have benefited Democrats in other ways. It would have built goodwill with advocacy groups clamoring for reform, both Hispanic organizations and business groups eager for foreign labor. More importantly, it would have helped drive Hispanic voter turnout in states critical to control of the White House and the Senate, including Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. An immigration debate also might have offered an issue to wield against presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who opposes the Dream Act.
Democratic aides said that leaders now have decided against such an effort. That is in part because groups clamoring for immigration changes will not be satisfied by a partial bill, and Democrats say they would be unable to keep the measure small. “It’s hard to do narrowly,” said one aide to a senior Democrat. “It becomes a total Christmas tree.”
What’s more, Democrats are no longer interested in trying to move a bill without GOP support. Despite optimism sparked by a modified Dream Act proposal from Rubio, Democrats and the White House believe no GOP support is forthcoming.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the chief backer of the Dream Act, said he has not given up on efforts to move the bill this year, but his words bear the mark of one looking for a thread of a silver lining in a giant cloud.
There are “indications from the House of interest in the Dream Act or versions of it, Senator Rubio’s interest. All those things are encouraging,” he said.
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http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily...sures-20120605
Rubio should have released his dream act a long time ago. Instead of now waiting to release it by the end of summer. It will be to close to the elections by then for any kind of vote to be taken on it. Seems the only viable option left now is an EO from Obama ( don't hold your breath).