02/08/11 In addition to the Washington Post's piece on DREAM eligible youth in JROTC today, the New York Times' Julia Preston took a long look at where students who fought for the DREAM Act are now, and the challenges they face: It was exhilarating for Maricela Aguilar to stand on the steps of the federal courthouse here one day last summer and reveal for the first time in public that she is an illegal immigrant. "It's all about losing that shame of who you are," Ms. Aguilar, a college student who was born in Mexico but has lived in the United States without legal documents since she was three years old, said of her "coming out" at a rally in June.
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02/02/11 Markos Moulitsas, founder and publisher of Daily Kos, has a stark political analysis of immigration reform for Democrats in, "Dems, listen to your base:" Of course, if the Democratic-controlled Congress did what was popular, comprehensive immigration reform would have been passed and signed into law last year. A reform package that legalizes only those undocumented immigrants who learn English, pay a fine, and have a clean criminal record polls off the charts.
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01/28/11 If you've been paying attention to the politics of immigration this month, you've probably noticed: 1) GOP state and local officials, joined by Republicans in both the House and Senate, are trying to mainstream an extreme push to repeal the 14th Amendment. So much for being defenders of the Constitution, eh? The main targets of this push would be, of course, babies.
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01/26/11 During the first half of his State of the Union address last night, President Obama argued that "winning the future" would be impossible without fixing immigration. He made the case for both the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform, and challenged the new Republican leadership to step up to the plate to find real solutions.
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01/25/11 Vivir Latino expressed low expectations for the treatment of immigration reform at tonight's State of the Union address. America's Voice founder Frank Sharry has made his suggestions here. Now, via Rachel Labruyere at Reform Immigration For America, there's a new way to register your opinion during tonight's State of the Union address -- apparently there's an app for that.
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01/20/11 In response to a recent Roll Call article calling out the nativist lobby, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith wrote a letter to the editor making a series of claims—many of which he's been making for the last 20 years—which simply don't stack up to the facts. These myths also conveniently obscure the lack of any denial of ties to the nativist lobby. While many of Smith's easy-to-swallow myths may stir the extreme end of a conservative base, they serve as a yet another distraction from having an open and honest immigration debate.
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01/19/11 A new internet video, entitled, "2 girls undermine entire US border strategy in under 18 seconds" is causing quite a stir. It's already received nearly 1/2 a million hits on YouTube and is sure to continue to spark debate. Watch it.
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01/11/11 After Saturday's horrific tragedy in Arizona, there have been several reports of threats and violent rhetoric directed at members of Congress and legislators across the country. Unsurprisingly for those of us who have followed the red-hot immigration debate in this country, some of these threats have been coupled to calls for hard-line immigration enforcement and "taking our country back."
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01/07/11 Steve King was dethroned because even the House Republican leadership must realize that comparing immigrants to livestock and suggesting we keep them out with an electric fence is offensive to Latino voters. But, he's simply been demoted from king to prince, and together, with Lamar Smith and Elton Gallegly, will lead the deportation caucus in the House. Until the Republican Party actually changes position on immigration, their ugly faces will still define them."
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01/07/11 Here's a shorter Steve King (R-IA) from yesterday: White babies in dumpsters = health care reform Dumping on brown babies = immigration reform
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01/06/11 Welcome back, folks. New year, new reasons to fear that Washington has officially gone nuts -- i.e. that Representative Steve King (R-IA) is now setting immigration policy in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was always an active backseat driver, but now he has been officially appointed Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee.
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12/21/10 That's right folks, break out the paddles -- and the cell phones. Before we regroup for the holidays and move forward to what's next for real immigration reform, it is critical that everyone who cares about the future of DREAM call the following Senators to let them know what this vote meant to you.
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12/21/10 As DREAM activists paid one last visit to the halls of Congress this month to thank those who voted for DREAM this past Saturday, and remind those who voted against their futures that they will be back, Senator Claire McCaskill was one of the Senators that deserved special thanks.
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12/21/10 Here's what a sampling of what progressive blogs have been saying about Saturday's DREAM vote. The DREAM Act has also been a major focus of Latino-focused and immigration-related blogs:
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12/18/10 Here's a slideshow of DREAM Act champions in the Senate and DREAM youth from across the country reacting strongly to today's Senate vote -- in which the DREAM Act obtained majority support (55-41) but not the 60 votes needed to beat a Republican filibuster. While there were many tears shed today, there were also words and prayers of hope and encouragement -- as well as a strong sense that those who blocked DREAM must be held accountable for their votes.
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12/17/10 Majority Leader Harry Reid announced late last night that the Senate will vote on the DREAM Act tomorrow morning! Now, we have less than 24 hours to persuade a handful of Senators to stop wavering and support the DREAM. Call now, and we'll connect you to a Senator still wavering on the DREAM Act: 866-587-6101.
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12/16/10 Majority Leader Reid filed cloture on the DREAM Act tonight, setting DREAM up for a Saturday vote. Barbara Morrill at Daily Kos urges readers to keep up pressure on key Democratic votes.
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12/14/10 Via Politico, folks may need to rethink those off-the-grid holiday travel plans if the DREAM Act doesn't get done this week. See: "Reid threatens post-Christmas session, Hoyer sees business spilling into next week: "Reid ticked off a number of priorities he would like to address before this congress officially ends in January: The START Treaty, the DREAM Act, the repeal of "don't ask don't tell" and other legislative matters."
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12/14/10 Today's piece in the Boston Herald by conservative columnist Linda Chavez is one of several warning bells being rung this week for the GOP if they decide to continue false attacks on and obstruction of the DREAM Act (See also, the Washington Post's Schumacher-Matos, who begins: "If Senate Republicans kill the Dream Act, I and many millions of Hispanics will take it as a slap in the face.")
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12/13/10 The mainstream media has done a pretty lousy job reporting what's next for the DREAM Act, writes Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista: "If ever there was an issue constantly lobbed at with distortions and falsehoods, the DREAM Act bill is one... Yet, there's nothing to be afraid of if these students are granted the opportunity to attend school or the military and join the U.S. workforce. It's been calculated by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation that "enacting the bill would reduce deficits by about $2.2 billion over the 2011-2020 period."
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12/10/10 Republican champion of the DREAM Act Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) recently told POLITICO that he absolutely will vote yes on the DREAM Act, which is welcome news as advocates work to reach out to Republican swing votes: "After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid delayed a test vote on the bill Thursday, Lugar said he had been prepared to vote "yes." And he indicated he'll support the bill when Reid brings it up again later this month."
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12/09/10 After the historic victory yesterday in the House of Representatives, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a bold move today to shelve a vote on the Senate's original version of the DREAM Act. In doing so, he paved the way for the Senate to take up the House-passed version of the bill in the next few weeks.
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12/09/10 Yesterday we celebrated the historic passage of the DREAM Act in the House of Representatives. Now, advocates are turning up the heat on the Senate -- there is a first vote in less than an hour, and advocates should keep calling: 866-996-516.
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12/08/10 It's on, folks. The DREAM Act is slated to be voted on in both chambers of government today, and we're expecting a close vote in the House. Yesterday, DREAM backers delivered giant checks (for $2.3 billion) to Congress and continued to ramp up their contact with key Senate votes like Florida's Sen. George LeMieux and Senator Hutchison of Texas.
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12/08/10 Late this evening, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that the House will take up the American DREAM Act on Wednesday, December 8th. Following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America's Voice: "The news that the House of Representatives will hold a vote on the DREAM Act on Wednesday is historic. The DREAM Act is supported by educators, the military, small business, organized labor, and religious leaders from across the spectrum. This is the most significant pro-immigrant legislation this chamber will have taken up in a decade. The young people who would benefit from the DREAM Act are patriotic high-achievers who just want a chance to become full citizens of the only country they call home.
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12/07/10 It's official. Reid filed cloture on the DREAM Act yesterday, and the Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow. The House is also likely to vote tomorrow on DREAM, so supporters should make calls to both the House and Senate all day today and early tomorrow -- every call counts: 866-967-6018 (English)
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12/06/10 Even as the House readies for a DREAM vote this week, Mike Lillis' latest piece on DREAM in The Hill paints a stark picture of the challenges the DREAM Act faces to garner conservative backers in the Senate. Lillis describes Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's recent complaints about the bill:
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