DREAM Act Blog #3 Caroline AbdulBaki

   Harry Reid

   The DREAM Act has been an incredibly huge topic discussed through the news for the past 3 years but has recently risen to its strongest and yet weakest year. Many people are starting to become aware of the DREAM Act because it helps many students to receive a higher education and also due to the fact that many students are getting involved with helping to get this legislation passed in order to become law!

    This has been a good and bad year for this legislation, though many universities and people are supporting this legislation, it was shut down in the Senate on September 21, 2010. The bill was attached to a defense bill making it harder for Republicans to shut it, but a filibuster held by the Republicans senators and one Democrat shut it down. When reintroduced in March 26, 2009 it had 134 official cosponsors but after the filibuster in September it was left with 2 cosponsors, we need to convince the Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and House that this legislation is extremely important.

   Many universities that have supported the DREAM Act such as University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkley, University of Florida, Harvard University and many others. Universities help give this legislation good media and image because these are some of the top Universities that support a cause which helps students who they know deserve the right to learn the same as everyone else. Supporting the DREAM Act shows that they care about and spend an extreme amount of time with these children.

   Public supports that give this bad media attention are groups who want to stop immigration and enforce security on our borders such as the ALIPAC group and Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). These groups do not support legislation similar to the DREAM Act or any legislation that help immigrations because they believe that illegal immigrants are law breakers and that the law should be followed and they should be punished.

     Republicans are the major opponents of this legislation they have as much power as the people who support this bill which are the Democrats. Republicans. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said that they would cosponsor the bill as well as Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah), hinting that he is most likely going to vote for the DREAM Act when it is presented as a standalone bill. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) Florida GOP Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Diaz-Balart, all said that they would vote for the DREAM Act during its presentation during the lame duck session.

    All of the Democrats are essential to the outcome of the bill because if they are all on board with the act they will be then be able to convince the Republicans to get on board as well. Democrats have to support a bill started by their own and so do the Republicans in order for them to succeed.  If Republicans such as John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) won’t vote for the bill we need as many Democrats as possible.

    Groups that are good to communicate with in order to help us are lobbyist groups such as Peaceful Tomorrows who have already lobbied for the DREAM Act the day it was not passed in the Senate.Contacting many students from different universities who are lobbying for it is another great way to get out that this bill becoming a law is very important.