And end to the DREAM for now. Senate nixes bill.
The DREAM is over. The vote today in the U.S. Senate on the controversial bill was close but it failed 55-41.
In his conference call yesterday with the press to urge passage, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that the Obama White House would try again but this was the best chance to gain passage of the DREAM Act given the Republican dominance of the Congress come January.
The bill created a legal path to citizenship for young people brought to America illegally by their parents. It applies to illegal immigrants who entered the United States before their 16th birthday. To qualify, they must graduate from high school, enter college or into the military and stay out of trouble.
Duncan argued that the children of illegal immigrants should not be punished for the sins of their parents, and their ability to attend college was important to the economic viability of the nation.
The GOP senators weren’t buying. Opponents countered the bill amounts to amnesty for lawbreakers.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said the Democrats’ last-ditch effort reflected political expediency. “You’re not doing this to advance the issue. You’re doing it to advance your situation politically,” said Graham.
In a statement, Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said: “Democracy lost out today as a minority of the United States Senate refused to permit a vote on the merits of the DREAM Act. In the face of extraordinarily committed youth and a nationwide movement, obstinately obstructionist senators refused to allow a bill with obvious and enduring benefits to our nation’s future to move forward. Sacrificed to transitory and shortsighted political trends were some of our nation’s most critical constitutional and guiding principles. Enactment of the DREAM Act would have vindicated longstanding values that have served to make our nation great. This is a critical political moment, and the Latino community and the entire nation will surely hold accountable the political leaders who cravenly blocked progress today.”
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72 comments Add your comment
Cobb Teacher
December 18th, 2010
10:49 pm
Long Time Educator: I enjoyed your comments and agree completely.
An American Patriot
December 18th, 2010
11:35 pm
We obviously know who these illegal students are……they should all be rounded up and deported. Folks, they’re here illegally…..I don’t really give a d**n how or why they’re here……they’re ILLEGAL!!!!!!!We have immigration laws for a reason. The POTUS would have loved for this bill to pass……it would have given him a large voting bloc……get rid of busing in our schools and use the buses to round up all the illegals and deport them……THEY’RE HERE ILLEGALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YeahRight
December 19th, 2010
12:20 am
Perhaps many of the DREAM opponents should be the ones deported from my country. I feel like I have a lot in common with the upwardly mobile non-citizens in my state who don’t spend their time bashing others on the Internet. The rest of you, not so much.
Lisa B.
December 19th, 2010
2:29 am
There is nothing wrong with our current process, I have several friends who have succesfully become legal citizens under current law.
GNGS
December 19th, 2010
7:37 am
The big, no, the gigantic elephant in room is that undocumented people are not going away voluntarily and mass deportation is not an option. The question is how we deal with it.
Since we are in this forum discussing education, I assume most of us are in favor of HOPE, a program supported by gambling. Thus, this makes us supporters of gambling, which was illegal and not subjected to taxation. At some levels, the issue of undocumented people is like gambling. Why should not we bring them into our system and tax them?
Lee
December 19th, 2010
8:44 am
You know, after reading all these posts from [alleged] teachers who are trying to rationalize those who break the law [rules] and enter this country illegally, I’m beginning to understand why they have such a hard time controlling their classroom from, well, those students who ignore the rules.
SMK
December 19th, 2010
8:54 am
I’m glad all you folks who are so worried about them being here illegally have never broken a single law. You’ve never driven one mile over the speed limit, never run a stop sign. You’ve never failed to move over or slow down for an emergency vehicle. Etc. You’re all perfect. I’m glad we have citizens like you. Yes, those are traffic laws but a law is a law. They broke a law trying to get away from an impoverished life style in order to come to a country that should offer them a chance at a better life. Making them legal means they pay taxes (12 million X taxes = lots of money towards the deficit). Yes, they vote, and they might not vote the way you want, but then your neighbor might not either. Yes, they might take jobs away from people who do a crappy job, but that makes us more productive as a country and better able to compete. My ancestors didn’t come here illegally because there were no immigration laws when they came. The country was not founded with immigration laws; the bill of rights applied to anyone who came to America. It’s a shame that it doesn’t anymore.
InEd
December 19th, 2010
9:07 am
@Lee – go back and re-read the post from Long Time Educator – she gives authentic information about schooling illegal immigrants.
What she doesn’t amplify, I will. In majority Hispanic schools, gangs are rampant. School uniforms are the only way to keep gang members from “representing.” Fast forward to the next generation, and this is what the eduation world will see: a handfull of students who are genuinely interested in furthering their education, but a majority of students who, unlike their parents, are anti-U.S. with an entitlement mentality.
Scary!
South Ga Teacher180
December 19th, 2010
9:23 am
After the age of 6 in the state of GA, students who are enrolling in GA schools do not have to show a birth certificate. I think they should show one everywhere they enroll in GA and in the country.
Just Wondering
December 19th, 2010
9:47 am
@In Ed – Just wondering where are the majority Hispanic schools is GA? That’s just as biased as making a similar statement for predominantly black schools. Do you feel that way about those as well?
mak
December 19th, 2010
9:55 am
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” What a bunch of hypocites we have become. I guess we need to dismantle the Statue of Liberty and ship it back to France.
If the illegals were to put on a national strike, no poultry, no beef, no painting, no building, no new court house in Cobb Co. I teach many immigrants, some very smart, most trying to just survive, imporve themselves and their families. Nice Christmas gift you so called Christians. I hope you all prayed for sins in your churches to your God What would Jesus Do?
catlady
December 19th, 2010
10:05 am
Re the article today on the collusion of B Hall and her minions in “shaping” the CRCT cheating scandal: I did not realize it was possible for there to be an even higher level of moral turpitude displayed by them, but I was wrong. When will the indictments come down?
Joe Wang
December 19th, 2010
10:14 am
Even with a majority in the senate, a majority in the house, and a sitting president the Democrats failed to get this bill through? This outcome was decided long before the bill went to a vote.
It’s clear the Democrats do not care about Hispanics as much as they care about the union leaderships, drug companies and Wall St. bankers which donate billions to their coffers.
Now that this nail biter is done Obama can get back to his golf game.
InEd
December 19th, 2010
10:58 am
@Just wondering – to find majority Hispanic schools, go the Georgia Department of Education website, look under the “data reporting” tab. Rather than show me where my information is inaccurate, you choose to apply it to other situations. Debate the issue with facts.
Kino
December 19th, 2010
2:33 pm
The thought that a nation founded by immigrants and built by immigrants won’t provide a path to citizenship is unconscionable. And unless you’re a member of one of the tribes, you’re ancestors were immigrants. Be grateful they came to this country when this nation still believed in “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Cobb Teacher
December 19th, 2010
3:00 pm
Kino: There is a legal path to citizenship and there always has been. Just because it isn’t an easy, overnight process doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. I’ve known a number of people who have immigrated here legally. My question is this: why do these people not want to go through this process? What a stress it must be to know you live here illeagally and face deportation at any time. Go through the process, do the right thing, and you will feel much better about yourself and the life you are building.
Lee: I certainly hope you aren’t referring to me when you cite alleged teachers trying to rationalize those who break the law. I am not rationalizing it at all. I am every bit a conservative who wants people to come here through the process we have in place. However, I also recognize the complexity of this issue and understand that we can’t simply dismiss millions of people. Both sides are going to have to approach the immigration debate ready to give and take.
We all share the blame for this problem. It has been allowed to fester for decades while neither political party nor any past president has had the guts to take it on. Our borders have been wide open and no immigration laws enforced. We even have “safe sanctuary” cities that have publicly stated that they will not enforce these laws. So why should these people not come illegeally? No one is willing to stop them. We’ve been too focused on cheap labor and appeasing special interest groups.
Enforce the laws that are already on the books. We don’t need new laws, acts, or anything else.
Burroughston Broch
December 19th, 2010
5:57 pm
@ Kino.
Go read US History (perhaps your first time?) and you’ll learn that those immigrants you mentioned EARNED their citizenship. My Dad was here for 47 years on a permanent visa (WWII vet) before he earned US citizenship in 1993. There has always been a path to citizenship for those willing to work for it.
Testing, testing
December 20th, 2010
8:58 am
Not sure that these children of immigrants are so unfamiliar with their countries of nationality…
What I learned working at UGA with undergraduates…whether or not they were born here, all the Hispanic students spoke fluent Spanish (some even majored in Spanish or took it as their foreign language, which bespeaks their cynicism at gaming the system) and had spent stretches of time in their parents’ home countries, so they were familiar both with the culture and the family relations in those countries. They could return there and fit in easily, but maybe not comfortably (ie., no fancy electronics or big house).
What I learned employing companies to do repairs on my house…
Some non-American Hispanics are good workers, some really suck and are learning on the job from other untrained workers. Hard to imagine that these workers are building solid structures when you look at the houses and buildings in Mexico built by the same type of workers. After one experience, I asked for documentation that my contractor was hiring only skilled American workers (and some of these WERE Hispanic). Point is, working hard, working quickly, and working long hours doesn’t equate with being a skilled worker and you get what you pay for. In a capitalist country, we reward competence not potential.
What I learned having kids in public school with a non-English speaking population…
Even if you have only a handful of kids who don’t speak English, your school has to hire ESOL teachers, at least a part-time counselor or social worker who is fluent in Spanish, and extra resource teachers to help make up work since lots of children of illegal immigrants come here at older ages having never been to school in their home country, so they are illiterate in both Spanish and English, and only speak Spanish. As well, their health care and nutrition as infants and younger years is often poor (no WIC in Mexico) so the children are often developmentally delayed, meaning occupational therapists are needed. On top of that, illegal immigrants are highly migratory, meaning their kids are transferring schools, school districts, and states so the population is constantly turning over and the school is constantly teaching beginning skills over and over, that is, the steep costs of ESOL, counseling, and therapy never decline.
Dr NO
December 20th, 2010
9:53 am
This is very good news.
TopPublicSchool
December 20th, 2010
9:37 pm
This is how Northside Atlanta handles this problem:
Concealing Segregation/APS/Jackson Elementary
http://www.youtube.com/user/TopSchoolAtlanta#p/u
This subject is a total embarrassment to all tax paying citizens in the city of Atlanta—APS—Under an umbrella of leadership directed by Superintendent, Beverly Hall- Atlanta Public Schools has more to hide than just cheating on standardized tests. Everything and everyone needs to be scrutinized carefully to make sure these unprofessional leaders are held responsible for their actions. They do not need to leave their posts with dignity. It is impossible to justify any support for their psychopathic, self-righteous administrative attitudes. How many additional corrupt administrators will be left in the upper ranks in decision making positions to “carry on” with business as usual in APS. Beverly Hall’s resignation will not cleanse this den of inequity.
frankee
December 21st, 2010
2:24 pm
Hey ABC…….kAll of the hate and yelling and stuff about the Dream Act is real…From real TAXPAYERS,,,That paid for the education and will end up apying for the college grants the KIDS are going to apply for……Reading the Act itself I saw something that doesn’t fit WELL….The Illegal kid can have a crime record and still apply to stay here…Whats that all about??????????? Bad enough I have to pay for their education …Now I have to let a crimmal in also……..Not this time buck(O)…..Illegal is still Illegal…I read the stuff the prez puts out and not once is it said what the bill will allow in for how long????????? You get a grip
Trish Wilkinson
December 21st, 2010
3:14 pm
Wow. This was not a Republican or Democrate issue; this was a taking care of our kids issue. Yes. Our kids. We didn’t send the parents back to their home countries, for whatever reason, and now their children get to pay for it? Maybe it would be helpful to put your own children in these kids’ shoes; that is, if you weren’t a member of the Lucky Sperm Club, one of the privilaged to be born in this country. Many children who were brought to this country illegally, from many locations, not just Mexico, have never been to their home countries at an age they can remember. So Americans should pick them up and drop them off in a land strange after they turn 18?
It is the immigrants, the fresh blood that is keeping our country from depopulating like France, Italy, heck, most of Europe and Japan. Do people really begrudge parents for wanting a better life for their children, or are they mad about having to pay high taxes to take care of them. Maybe that’s where we need to focus, because in many cases, it takes ten years or more to go through the immigration process legally, and many of the families who come here illegally would have died of starvation by then – or worse. Should make NO provisions for the children whose parents brought them here as minors? These children had no say in their parents’ decision to come here. They are PEOPLE, not numbers.
Maybe we could do something about all the taxes we pour into this population to make it seem more equitable to those who feel cheated for accepting them into our society.
As someone who often votes Republican, I have to say that I’m sorely disappointed in the attitudes expressed here. Republicans, after all, claim to be the more religious of the parties. Funny. I don’t think this is the way Jesus would have handled the children.