New Strategy May Be Needed: DA's independence from CIR

Current news all report that DA will most likely be a part of CIR as a whole and will not be a standalone.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform will not pass. Not this year or the next few forseeable years to come. Don't kid yourselves. You know this. Democrats have control over both houses and they could not pass the DA ATTACHED TO A VERY POPULAR DEFENSE BILL. DA is on the bottom of the priority list for any politician. Why? because it's kind of like helping out a homeless - you get nothing out of it. There's no money to be made or votes to garner. In fact, there's more to lose for a politician than break even by advocating for the DA.

So why do immigration advocates and Democrats insist that DA be a part of CIR? Because they know that more politicians will be reluctant to strike the face of a child than an illegal grown up.

DA could have passed 10 years ago. But you and me both, are being held hostage by both sides. CIR advocates don't want us to be documented because they lose a key bargaining power. Republicans would prefer to document the youth than 11 million illegal adults.

Yet, while both sides strategize among themselves, OUR future gets dimmer and dimmer. We can't always be in a position to go to school or join the military. There are practical limits to pursuing our dreams and for those younger than us - like age, health, and life in general.

Think about it, 10 years ago when DA was first introduced, there were 16 and 18 year old kids who wanted to go to college and make better of themselves. They are now 26 and 28. They are adults now, and soon some of them will no longer be eligible even if DA passes in the near future.

Do you guys honestly think that Reid was so sympathetic towards our cause and justice so he decided to attach DADT and DA at the last minute? Do you think he will bring it up again when he doesn't need Latino votes again? Don't kid yourselves.

I think that we ought to exert our energy into DA as a standalone in this lame duck session, because sorry to tell you, no immigration bill is going to pass in the next 2 years after Republicans take over some of the seats. Not DA and definitely not CIR. Why shouldn't those who could be saved, be saved? Passing the DA is a possibility, but it won't be for very long. We should tell our voting neighbors to help us pass DA on its own. Politicians don't listen to us because we can't vote and we can't help them. Let's help ourselves. We can't drag DA for another decade. Or else we will slip into the CIR camp and hold our younger DA generation hostage again, like they're doing it to us now.

I agree with you the CIR folks are using us as props!! We keep calling and demanding DA as stand alone bill, some Dreamers are holding Sit-ins and hunger strikes aswell. Congress keeps ignoring us so pleas tell me what els can we do?

Where did you hear that DA will not be brought up as a stand-alone ?

You're panicked unnecessarily ! There is no where on the Internet saying that DA will not be brought up as a stand-alone during the lame duck session

LOL, but there is no way to say Dream Act MUST bring up during the lame duck session right?

Basically, several senators have expressed privately that Dream Act will come up in the lame duck session, not as a part of CIR. It's also reported that several news outlet that Dream Act is on the tentative legislative calendar for lame duck.

Democrat will attempt to push for CIR in spring. So, their CIR bill is at best meaningless now. Don't get caught up with the CIR bill.

Your post has a lot of assumptions. I think that we will see on November 2 if the reps really win.

I guess Reids tactic was to put up DA so Hispanics can think that he is trying to do something. Reid must have known nothing was going to happen but in Hispanic eyes "he tried" therefore gaining Hispanic votes for November...

It is really ignorant to believe that the Dream Act will not pass because of CIR. The Dream Act HAS been introduced as a stand-alone. The vote on the DOD bill shows that there is absolutely no Republican that would vote to move forward with this- even in the guise of military funding.

Dream Act and CIR have exactly the same chances to pass during the lame duck- and luckily we have bills for both of these, and are ready to move in the case that either of them are brought up to vote.

I was in DC the week that the DOD was up for vote- speaking the senators' staff. They all gave us pretty much useless answers- they all said they either supported the Dream Act or CIR- but none of them voted in favor of bringing it to discussion.

The problem is that the Republican leadership is forcing its members to stay within the party lines- that is to NOT vote for ANY immigration bill (positive immigration bill at least). If a politician understands the need for the Dream Act- they more than likely also understand the need for CIR- it is not reasonable to believe that they really only strongly support one of the two.

And it is crazy to actually have this discussion where we are blaming a group (people pushing for CIR, like myself) for the lack of congressional support. We are all in the same struggle- and all are fighting for the same thing.

Republicans see DA as a half-way comprimise of CIR. More Rs are willing to document a child who has a legitimate excuse - that they had no say in their coming here. Advocacy for DA has more ammunition, far more than CIR both on moral and legal grounds. Sure most Republicans never read any of these bills and just re-use the same rhetorics over and over, but during the lame duck session, some politicians might actually feel less constrained by party ideas since they are already on their way out. They just might read it AND comprehend it.

I am a believer that common sense prevails if people actually listened intently. Even if I was not a DA-beneficiary, with the knowledge I have now about DA, it would make complete sense to me to not criminalize children who are simply collaterals in this fiasco. I think the lame duck session and standalone bill might just create that kind of atmosphere for this understanding.