Congress Temporarily Halts Vote On DREAM Act

“I want everyone within the sound of my voice to understand how much I appreciate, and thousands and thousands of others, Senator Durbin’s advocacy on this issue. But I also want everyone within the sound of my own voice to know that we’re going to vote on the DREAM Act, it’s only a question of when. That’s all this is about, basic fairness. But this isn’t the end of this. We’re going to continue to move on.”

 -Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV)

These words spoken by Senator Reid shortly after the senate voted 56 to 43 against proceeding to the Defense Authorization Act.  This means that the DREAM Act, an immigration bill that would provide legal status to people who graduate from high school and pursue college or enlist in the military, will not be considered by the senate as an amendment to the bill.

The passage to citizenship for thousands of hopeful and promising undocumented youth is now pushed farther away.   

Leading up to the vote, accusations and statements from both sides of the senate had been rampant; Senator John McCain (R-AZ) called the DREAM Act Reid’s “effort to get re-elected” and stated that the DREAM was “totally unrelated to national defense”, while Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) advised Republicans to “stop hiding in the shadows.” 

All the vacuous and tired arguments miss the point; deserving kids must have a chance at the American dream. Their participation in American society would benefit America greatly, as David Leopold writes: “The Dream Act targets for future citizenship exactly the kind of people America should be embracing: young soldiers, scholars, strivers, future leaders.”

These young people need to be encouraged in their aspirations and not restricted; their potential must be realized and not unmet. Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, states:

“Ultimately, those in opposition voted not in favor of process, but against young immigrants who have shown more leadership than some of our elected officials. As a result, the dreams of the young men and women who have been waiting to fulfill their highest potential and contribute to America will continue to be on hold, and our country will suffer.”

America must look forward and turn its back on the restrictionist zeal that plagues its lands.  What kind of America do you envision in the future? An America still wading through the swamps of ignorance and xenophobia? Or an America planted on the ground of diversity and acceptance?  The DREAM Act is a bold step toward dry land.

Sources: ImmigrationProf Blog, AILA Leadership Blog, Immigration Impact, NBC Chicago.

President Obama Pledges His Full Support For The DREAM Act

                 "President Obama's Speech at a CHC Gala 9/15/2010"

Last night at a CHC gala, President Obama expressed his full commitment to help move the DREAM Act:

Now, the Senate is going to have a chance to do the right thing over the next few weeks when Senator Reid brings the DREAM Act to the floor. Keep in mind, in the past, this was a bill that was supported by a majority of Democrats and Republicans. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t receive that same kind of bipartisan support today. I’ve been a supporter since I was in the Senate, and I will do whatever it takes to support the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ efforts to pass this bill so that I can sign it into law on behalf of students seeking a college education and those who wish to serve in our country’s uniform. It’s the right thing to do. We should get it done.

Also, today President Obama held a meeting with Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) members, chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) to address the movement of the DREAM Act.

After the meeting, Rep. Luis Gutierrez  told reporters that Obama would “leave no stone unturned.” Rep. Nydia Velázquez  added that Obama promised to speak to senators.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will bring the DREAM Act to a vote next week.
 
For more information on the DREAM Act click here.

For a full transcription of the above mentioned speech click here.

Sources: Immigration Impact, Politico 44.

U.S.C.I.S. Memo Has Anti-Immigrant Groups Panicking

An internal Department of Homeland Security memo entitled “Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform” was attacked by conservative activists Monday.

Activist groups such as the Eagle Watch, The Family Research Council, Judicial Watch, and a Washington-area segment of the Tea Party movement, sent a letter to the White House citing reports that the administration is thinking about using its executive power “to effectively legalize significant number of illegal aliens.”

The head of NumbersUSA, an immigration reduction organization, alleged that, “The administration is terrified that the illegal immigrant population is going to go down further because they want to keep them here in order to give them the amnesty and turn them into voters.”

The document outlines a draft proposal that would give protection and/or assistance to individuals currently in the United States without authorization. It also mentions “deferred action.” Deferred action “would permit individuals for whom relief may become available in the future to live and work in the U.S. without fear of removal.”

It goes on to state that the suggestions have the “potential to result in meaningful immigration reform absent legislative action.” However, it also acknowledges that if they adopted the suggestions without limits, it will be very expensive and controversial.

A statement from the U.S.C.I.S. indicated that the memo was simply brainstorming. “Internal memos do not and should not be equated with official action or policy.” They went on to state that they, “will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation’s entire illegal population.”

To view the memo click here.

Source: CNN

Justice Department Threatens to Sue Maricopa County Sheriff

The new immigration law enacted in Arizona, SB 1070, gives police officers much more authority to detain illegal immigrants. This authority will almost certainly increase the racial profiling and discrimination against many groups, most notably the Latino population.

Recently, Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer (R) were sued by the Justice Department over the state's new immigration law. Soon after, Justice Department officials issued a warning to controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio that requires him to respond to their investigation into whether he discriminates against Hispanics. If he doesn’t respond, he will be sued.

The Civil Rights Division has been investigating whether Arpaio’s jail has discriminated against Hispanic inmates and whether his department has engaged in “discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures” all this according to a letter the division sent Arpaio.

A federal grand jury in Phoenix is also targeting the self proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff.” They are examining whether he has used his influence to intimidate and investigate political opponents and whether his office misappropriated government funds.

More information on SB 1070 can be found here and here.

Source: Washington Post

Filing Instructions for Immigration Forms Are Updated

Several forms should now be sent to USCIS lockbox facilities rather than to USCIS Service Centers. These forms are:

• I-129F
• I-130
• I-140
• I-526
• I-539
• I-817

On the latest version of each of these forms, the new filing instructions can be found. These forms are available for free here.

The change occurred August 3, 2010. Applications already on their way to the service centers will be automatically rerouted to a designated lockbox. This will occur for a period of 45 days, after which packages will be returned to the applicant with a letter stating the new filing instructions.

Emergency Border Security Bill is Signed Into Law by Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama reaches for a pen to sign the Southwest Border Security Bill, as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano watches, in the Oval Office in Washington August 13, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing

"U.S. President Barack Obama reaches for a pen to sign into law the Southwest Border Security Bill."

  Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing

U.S. President Barack Obama reaches for a pen to sign the Southwest Border Security Bill, as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano watches, in the Oval Office in Washington August 13, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing

The Senate passed H.R. 6080 yesterday by unanimous consent and today President Obama signed it into law.

H.R. 6080 gives $600 million in emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 2010 to secure the Southwest border and improve Federal border protection, law enforcement, and counternarcotics activities.

Funding is appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and The Judiciary. The bill also includes General Provisions that include raising “filing and fraud prevention and detection for L visas by $2,250 and H-1B visas by $2,000 for applicants who have more than 50 employees in the US if more than 50 percent of their employees are on L or H-1B visas respectively. Filing fee increase ends on September 30, 2014.”

More information on the bill can be found here.

Sources: AILA, Whitehouse