As the lame-duck session of Congress approaches, the movement to pass the DREAM Act before the new Congress is seated in January gains steam. As an editorial from La Opinión and columns from Jorge Ramos and Maribel Hastings all call for the bill to pass, the eyes of the Latino media are on Washington–where Republican Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and Democratic Senator Bob Menéndez have announced their support for the bill, and Menendéz will meet with the President and other key Latino members of Congress at the White House today to discuss strategy on immigration legislation.
The time is now. La Opinión (Los Angeles) prints an editorial titled “The time is now” (“Aprovechar la oportunidad”) urging the outgoing, Democratic-majority Congress to pass the DREAM Act and legalize undocumented youth during the lame-duck session:
“This legislative session is filled with dozens of legislators who have either lost their reelection or are planning to retire. They have nothing to lose by doing the right thing and voting for a bill that will help the economy in the short and long term by preparing our country’s future labor force. And, at the same time, they will be strengthening the military.
“Political savvy and determination will be needed to pass this legislation. Opportunities exist to attach it to other bills if it appears that it cannot be approved on its own. With so much at stake , the time to act is now!”
Key Latino legislators meet with Obama today on immigration. La Opinión also reports on today’s White House meeting between President Barack Obama, Democratic Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ) and Democratic Members of Congress Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL) to discuss the possibility of advancing immigration legislation. According to the paper, Menéndez said during a teleconference with conservative groups that:
“I would prefer to start with a real effort to pass immigration reform, and if we come to the conclusion that that doesn’t have the will and support, then I’m for voting on the DREAM Act.”
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) will meet with President Barack Obama Tuesday afternoon to talk about the chances of getting comprehensive immigration reform or the DREAM Act passed in the lame duck session, a House Democratic source said.
Immigration advocates want to know how much the White House supports a vote on either bill in the next few weeks. Menendez said on a conference call with reporters Monday that the White House is “ready and willing” to talk about immigration.
The news comes after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi expressed her desire to see a DREAM Act vote as soon as possible:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could bring the DREAM Act to the floor as early as this week. The measure provides a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants who attend college for two years or join the military.
Notably, key Republican voices have also spoken up for DREAM in recent days, such as Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), who yesterday called on Speaker Pelosi to schedule a vote on the legislation this year; Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who noted her support for moving DREAM in an interview with Univision; and incoming Representative David Rivera (R-FL), who told Jorge Ramos that he supports the DREAM Act on Al Punto.
The leading figure on Spanish-language television, Univision’s Jorge Ramos has also penned a column (in Spanish) reminding both parties that the DREAM Act is a practical and common-sense approach to strengthening America’s future both economically and militarily, while living up to our best traditions as a nation of immigrants.
Last night MSNBC did a special immigration “Townhall” event, which featured a young Arizona DREAM engineer, who wanted to serve in the military but was blocked from doing so, as a result of his status.
Tonight, at 10:00 pm EST, Lawrence O’Donnell will host an MSNBC Special Town Hall Event on ”Immigration and Latino America” with the Executive Director of Voto Latino, Maria Teresa Kumar. Check out their teaser:
The event, which will take place at the University of San Diego, is intended to take an in-depth look at the issue of immigration and the increasing role that the Latino population is playing in American life and politics. More specifically, according to the press release issued late last week by Voto Latino:
The special town hall event will examine the state of immigration in the United States including the influence of the Latino voting block on the 2010 midterm elections, how Arizona’s immigration laws have affected national progress, and if the American Dream is still attainable for new generations of immigrants. The discussion will also present viable solutions for moving the country forward.
The guest list includes actress and activist Rosario Dawson, Telemundo’s Jose Diaz Balart, Executive Director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles Alfonso Aguilar, Democratic strategist and pollster Celinda Lake (view her recent polling on immigration here), and Dr. David Shirk, Director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego. And be sure to look out for America’s Voice’s Executive Director, Frank Sharry, answering questions for the audience during the two-hour event, following the panel discussion.
A mountingarray of evidence shows that the 2010 national exit poll failed to capture a representative sample of Latino voters and, resultantly, misstated levels of Latino support for candidates. However, research by Latino Decisions, conducted bilingually during the early voting period, provides a more accurate picture of Latino voter sentiment in the 2010 elections. When it comes to Latino voters in 2010, the national exit polls should be marked with a big asterisk, and the Latino Decisions figures used more reliably.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
The national exit poll numbers for Latinos are wrong both intuitively and quantitatively, and deserve a big asterisk in the 2010 election analysis. Thankfully, we have an alternate set of information about Latino voters that stands up to the precinct-specific scrutiny and makes sense in light of what we know transpired on the campaign trail.
In-depth new analysis of the Latino vote in Nevada underscores that the national exit polls badly misstated Latino voter support in Nevada and elsewhere. Using precinct-specific data and based on “actual vote results from the state of Nevada, Harry Reid is estimated to have won 94% of the Latino vote” instead of the 68% estimated level of support figure generated by the national exit polls. Of note, the Latino Decisions data show Reid winning support from 90% of Nevada Latino voters – much closer to the official statement of votes from actual 2010 precincts. These figures also make intuitive sense, given the way Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) engaged in anti-Latino race-baiting to a shocking degree.
The problems with the national exit polls’ estimates of Latino voters – which Latino Decisions accounts for in their methodology – are myriad. The pollsters rely on small sample sizes of Latino voters to draw conclusions; decide where to poll based on the percentage of the overall electorate that lives in rural, suburban and urban communities-without regard for the fact that the Latino electorate is concentrated in more urban locations; and do not accurately capture Spanish-dominant Latino voters. In fact, they under-survey Spanish-dominant Latino citizens “by almost 10-fold” according to Latino Decisions.
While the national exit poll will hopefully correct its methodological flaws with respect to Latino voters in future election cycles, pundits and analysts should know of the problems with the 2010 numbers and where to turn for accurate information on Latino voters in the interim.
Some breaking news to start off your Monday, via Florida Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart’s press shop:
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Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart 21st District of Florida
November 15, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DIAZ-BALART CALLS ON SPEAKER PELOSI TO ALLOW A VOTE ON “AMERICAN DREAM ACT”
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), co-author and an original sponsor of the DREAM Act, today called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on the “American DREAM Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives during the upcoming “lame-duck” session. The legislation, which Rep. Diaz-Balart has sponsored or cosponsored since 2002, would restore states’ rights to determine residency requirements for higher education benefits – giving states the option to provide in-state tuition for college. “The American Dream Act” will facilitate access to postsecondary educational opportunities for immigrant students in the United States who currently face barriers in pursuing a college education.
[Continued]
That’s right, key House Republicans want a vote on the common-sense DREAM Act without further delay. Since 2002, the DREAM Act has been a bipartisan measure with bipartisan support, and we are glad to see Republican leaders on the measure speaking up for its passage again today.
A balanced, conservative approach to immigration policy?
That’s not something we’ve heard much about recently, what with all the extreme campaign rhetoric and Arizona’s hardline approach. But this week, a broad coalition in Utah that includes conservatives and Republicans gives immigration reform advocates a reason to hope that a rational dialogue on this contentious issue is possible. Other states would be wise to follow Utah’s lead, after lawmakers and public officials unveiled an exciting development called the “Utah Compact.”
The Utah Compact was created “to create a constructive, civil community dialogue about Utah’s role in fixing the nation’s broken immigration system” and was created by a broad coalition of political, business and religious leaders including the Sutherland Institute, United Way, Salt Lake Chamber, Utah Attorney General’s Office, Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and the Catholic Diocese. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) also supports the principles outlined in the document.
“The Utah Compact was developed over several months by groups and individuals who were concerned about the tone of Utah’s immigration discussion. The Compact is based on Utah values and we urge our leaders to use these guiding principles as they address the complex challenges associated with a broken national immigration system…It is a simple document that expresses our values as community as they relate to specific policy issues that have become central to the immigration discussion.”
Momentum is building for the 
A balanced, conservative approach to immigration policy?
