The DREAM Act and the Piecemeal Immigration Reform Effort

[Yeggo]

Crossposted from Conversation 101, which I'm not allowed to link to yet, since I'm a noob:

So, our discussion of Arizona’s immigration law has led us to the inevitable question: what is the federal government going to do about it? That’s what all this is about: Arizona doesn’t think that the government is doing enough to help them secure the border, so they passed what ended up being a pretty ill-worded piece of their own legislation. And their defense? Well, we have to do what we have to do because Washington’s not helping.

It’s a little like a college girl getting a job as a stripper because her parents aren’t sending her enough money. She’s entitled, and she thinks she’s solving her problem in a practical (if poorly thought out) way.

But while her friends may think it’s an OK idea, not surprisingly, her folks are a little pissed.

So, what do the parents do to solve this situation? That’s really what we’re after here.

The larger answer is what everyone calls “comprehensive immigration reform.” A large package of bits of legislation designed to solve the multiple issues we’re currently having with immigration. But, there’s an election in three months, so don’t hold your breath. Republicans sure as hell aren’t going to squander some well-cultivated anger and motivation on the part of their anti-immigration base; and Democrats, who promised the Hispanic community immigration reform, aren’t going to pass something that may be seen as too harsh.

So, the solution looks to be taking a piecemeal approach. Starting with what’s dubbed “The DREAM Act:”

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.

In 2007, ten Republican Senators, including Orrin Hatch and Olympia Snowe, voted with Democrats on S2205, a very similar bill to the DREAM Act. Today, however, Republican opposition to even this small, relatively popular piece of the larger puzzle is being expressed by folks like John Cornyn:

“This is getting to be a joke. No one believes that there is enough time that we could do a responsible job,” said Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The Senate should approach the issue in “a responsible, reasonable way and not just try to play to the peanut gallery and act like we’re going to do something we’re not.”

A summary of the legislation follows. I’ll let you decide who the peanut gallery is:

Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her 16th birthday and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal; and (6) was under age 35 on the date of this Act’s enactment. Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status, including: (1) termination of status for violation of this Act; and (2) removal of conditional status to permanent status. Authorizes an alien who has satisfied the appropriate requirements prior to enactment of this Act to petition the Secretary for conditional permanent resident status. Provides for: (1) exclusive jurisdiction; (2) penalties for false application statements; (3) confidentiality; (4) fee prohibitions; (5) higher education assistance; and (6) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Fuck Harry Reid and his DREAM of 20MM Illegal Alien Dem voters

 

[Yeggo]

I see... guess any hopes of a reasonable discussion of anything here is pretty pointless, huh?

 

[chanel]

According to an internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services memo going the rounds of Capitol Hill and obtained by National Review, the agency is considering ways in which it could enact “meaningful immigration reform absent legislative action” — that is, without the consent of the American people through a vote in Congress…

Perhaps the most egregious suggestion is to “Increase the Use of Deferred Action.” “Deferred action,” as the memo defines it, “is an exercise of prosecutorial discretion not to pursue removal from the U.S. of a particular individual for a specific period of time.” For example, after Hurricane Katrina, the government decided not to remove illegal immigrants who’d been affected by the disaster.

The memo claims that there are no limits to USCIS’s ability to use deferred action, but warns that using this power indiscriminately would be “controversial, not to mention expensive.” The memo suggests using deferred action to exempt “particular groups” from removal — such as the illegal-immigrant high-school graduates who would fall under the DREAM Act (a measure that has been shot down repeatedly in Congress). The memo claims that the DREAM Act would cover “an estimated 50,000” individuals, though as many as 65,000 illegal immigrants graduate high school every year in the U.S.

Hot Air NRO: Memo circulating on Capitol Hill shows how Obama might legalize some illegals without Congress

Would the fascism charge be ok here? It's not my style, but I'm at a loss for a better word.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

I see... guess any hopes of a reasonable discussion of anything here is pretty pointless, huh?

Not at all.

Secure the border, if the Feds won't do it the State and People will.

Illegals NEVER get to vote, NEVER.

 

[WillowTree]

How can you expect a "discussion" about rewarding people who steal into the country, steal ID, steal treasure from Americans to be "reasonable." Are you nutz? Why do demonRats insist on rewarding people who break the law? and if these people can break the law who do you think should follow the law? Anybody? Just fuck the law and throw it away. We don't needs us no damn law.

 

[WillowTree]

demonRats are so fucking dishonest they say "comprehensive" when they mean "amnesty." they can go suck some donkey dick.

 

[chanel]

Higher education assistance? Where's my kids' higher education assistance? I just filled out the FAFSA for the second time and I could have sworn I heard my computer say "Fuck you sucka!" when I hit enter.

BTW - What exactly is "good moral character"? According to the lefties on this board, there is no agreement on what constitutes "good morals". Is it that they haven't murdered anyone? Or just that they regretted it afterwards?