Key Dems may back DREAM Act

[t0dd]

Source: The Hill

Senate Democrats who blocked an immigration bill in 2007 say they are undecided on how to vote on the measure this week.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to attach the controversial DREAM Act to the defense authorization bill. But it’s unclear if it can attract 60 votes.

The DREAM Act, introduced by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would grant U.S. citizenship to certain children of illegal immigrants who came to the country before the age of 16.

Democrats helped block the bill three years ago when it fell eight votes short on a procedural motion. While some Republicans supported that motion, eight Democrats voted no, including the late Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) and Sens. Max Baucus (Mont.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Jon Tester (Mont.) and Byron Dorgan (N.D.).

Five of those senators — Conrad, Dorgan, McCaskill, Pryor and Landrieu — told The Hill they haven’t made up their minds about this week’s vote.

“It’s not one of the things I’m focused on right now, but at the appropriate time I will review it,” Conrad said.

“I’ll take a look at how it’s constructed. I haven’t made a judgment about it,” said Dorgan.

McCaskill was slightly more optimistic.

“It depends on the language,” she said. “I have some problems with the way the bill was drafted last time. I am certainly more comfortable with the notion that somebody who has been in the country for five years and who came here through the fault of their parents and not their fault ought to get a green card to serve in the military. I’m very sympathetic to that. I’m just looking at the drafting now.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/119661-key-dem-senators-not-ruling-out-yes-votes-on-dream-act

---

Any "Democrat" that blocks this amendment needs to join the Republican Party, with other xenophobic-minded individuals.

[Mass]

1. So, for Claire, they can serve in the military, but not become citizens.

[HereSince1628]

2. I agree, that's really unfortunate

And I wonder what has changed.

Back in 1970 I met a Canadian who was attending the same training I was at USASESS at Ft Gordon. He volunteered for service in the US Army in order to get a pathway to citizenship, but he was denied the security clearance he needed for the school he actually wanted because he was a furaner. No one seemed to notice until he showed up for the first day of the training and couldn't pick up a badge showing his clearance.