DREAM Act Stalled By Senate Vote
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged the senate to pass the DREAM Act, which was attached as an amendment to legislation that would have repealed the Pentagon’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy for gays in the military.
If it had passed, about 2 million of the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. could have had a path to citizenship. The Migration Policy Institute, however, estimated that only about 825,000 people would take advantage of the proposed law.
Reid blasted Republicans after the vote, saying they "didn't even have the courage to let us bring this to the floor."
Senator Richard Durbin said Tuesday, "What I tried to do with the DREAM Act is give these young people a chance to work hard and earn their way to become a part of the only country they have ever known."
Critics said that Reid’s plan only served as a way to gain Hispanic voters in his home state in Nevada and beat tea party candidate Sharon Angle.
Neon Tommy reporter Marlise Knechtle spoke with Vincent Alvarez, a sophomore at the University of Southern California who campaigned for the DREAM Act, about his reaction to Tuesday's vote. Alvarez is not undocumented, but he says he knows a number of students who are.
Marlise Knechtle: What effect would the DREAM Act have had?
Vincent Alvarez: 65 million [thousand] students graduate every year and don’t know what to do next because they are undocumented; with the passage of the DREAM act, a lot more people could go to college or the military and gain citizenship.
MK: Why do you think it was defeated?
VA: The act affects California specifically because we have a large immigrant population and it pertains to us. But there is still the majority of the US that does view the act as necessary; many people don’t feel that it would benefit them in any way. And so many people have no idea why the act is even up for debate.
MK: What challenges do undocumented students face, and how could the DREAM Act have helped?
VA: A lot of undocumented students have scholarships but they have to take out additional loans. Had the act passed, it would have helped with in state tuition. These students are paying out-of-pocket in addition to either loans or scholarships. So the act would greatly help undocumented students.
MK: What's the next step for activists such as yourself?
VA: Pretty much there is nothing really that can be done. The best bet is to wait until November when we can vote on it again.
To reach reporter Stevee Jo Eads, click here.
To reach reporter Marlise Knechtle, click here.
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