Senate is to Vote Today

CBS reports that the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Dream Act today.  The House passed the legislation last night with 216 votes to 198.  Interestingly, a few of those votes in favor were from 8 Republicans.  CBS is predicting the legislation to be filibustered, but those 8 Republicans that crossed party lines could show some glimmer of hope.  Jeff Sessions is one of the bill's strong critics, saying that the Dream Act does not solve what Americans want Congress to do--end the lawlessness of immigration.  President Obama, on the other hand, praised the passing of the legislation in the House.

After talking about the Dream Act in class all semester, I have come to the conclusion I want it to pass.  I think this legislation is a healthy compromise to the number of children stuck here and without any means to make a life back in their original country.  That is one reason why I have never been able to support Republicans on immigration policy because they fail to look into the heart of the issue.  The estimated 13 million illegal immigrants in this country are not some growing cancer that is going to destruct our society.  These young immigrants who want to contribute to society, through serving or going to college, deserve a fair chance.  I was a little offended by Jeff Sessions claiming he knows what Americans want and that want is only to enforce the law.  I felt it was only a political ploy, and he truly does not speak for many Americans, like myself, that really want to see some sort of policy that addresses the complications to illegal immigration.  These Republicans criticize amnesty, yet they offer no solutions.  If they fail to compromise on immigration, they are not serving in American's best interests.

Perceptions on Immigration: Are They Getting Any Better?

Today, in a rhetoric class I am taking, someone in the class tried arguing for SB1070, and it made me question if people's perceptions on immigration are getting any better.  First off, she failed to do enough research on the topic, and she only reiterated the negative sentiments on illegal immigration without back up her argument with logic and facts.  Secondly, she lost credibility with me when she faltered on one of my questions.  Earlier this semester, I went to one of the SB1070 debates, and a University of Arizona law professor deemed the writers of the legislation purposely kept the language vague.  I asked the girl in my class what she thought about the professor's assessment, and she failed in even identifying Susan Bolton by her name.

Watching this presentation, full of assumptions and not enough facts, makes me wonder if people cannot stop and think logically about the implications and true issues with SB1070.  I have hopes that a compromise will be a solution to immigration policy, but when people hold emotionally driven and polarizing thoughts on immigration, I sadly question if we, as a nation, will ever find an adequate solution to immigration policy.

Lou Dobbs: New Look on Immigration

I find it interesting that Lou Dobbs has retracted a little from his previous statements about illegal immigration. Before this interview, I was under the impression that Lou Dobbs did not believe in giving any sorts of rights to illegal immigrants, but his stated side with Bill O'Reilly made me think other wise.  I think this change of heart by Lou Dobbs is a hopeful sign that people can settle for the middle.  With the failure of Bush's immigration legislation and the Dream Act, I think, like Lou Dobbs demonstrated here, that politicians and American citizens need to compromise on immigration policy.

It was Only a Dream...

David Frum from The Week describes in his editorial how the Dream Act has become more like an actual nightmare.  Frum cannot invision the Dream Act passing during the lame-duck period, and he sees it as a political ploy to please and mobilize Hispanic voters before the 2012 elections.  Then he explains three reasons of why the Dream Act not passing is a good thing.  The first reason is that older illegal immigrants will use falsified documents to file under the Dream Act, which automatically halts deportation. He also criticizes how the Department of Homeland Security cannot use previous information from the Dream Act to deport someone.  Another fault Frum sees is that children can sponsor their parents from amnesty starting at 12 years old. Lastly, he explains how the Dream Act gives a reason to young people to come to the United States and receive amnesty.

I understand where Frum comes from with his criticism of the Dream Act, but I feel he misses the big picture of what the legislation intends to do.  If the law passes, it will help many that have seen the United States as their home since they were little, but they are not legal residents.  I feel those number of young illegal immigrants are more substantive than the number of people that will abuse the Dream Act.  Many systems in the system are misused in larger proportions (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security), yet no one seems to consider those issues when discussing the Dream Act.  If we as a country can only look at the negative consequences immigration policy will bring, I fear we will never reach a conclusion on immigration.

U.K.: Getting Things Done?

In previous posts, the U.K. and its recent stance on immigration has been making controversial news.  Now officially, the U.K. has limited the amount of non-EU immigrants allowed into their country.  They are now only admitting 22,000 immigrants into the country, which is a fifth of the immigrants allowed into the UK in 2009.  Along with this, students and family members of visa holders are being limited from 196,000 to 100,000.  Despite these numbers, David Cameron, Prime Minister, declared that 1,000 visas will be used a year to reserve spots for highly specialized individuals.  Many inside the U.K. claim that immigration needs to be under better control because of the burden on public services.

It is nice to see that the UK can pass legislation, unlike the US, but it is also discouraging to see them passing almost close to nativist policies.  One thing I cannot find myself to agree on is the restriction on non-EU students let into the country.  As we have discussed in class, one of the more beneficial aspects of globalization and immigration is the flow of ideas and cultures, and I think by restricting students, the UK is losing an opportunity to gain more knowledge as a country.  As someone who has studied there, I have seen some positive effects immigration has had on their country.  They have even adopted curry as their unofficial national food.

Another Political Cartoon

In looking back at this semester, one important aspect I have learned is that cartoons, like this above, are myths.  This cartoon depicts that Mexicans do not want to assimilate as Americans, and they are hypocrites for stating they want to be Americans.  Obviously, all three of our books we have read have proven that this just is not the case.  For example, Leo Chavez in his book discusses the language barrier and how that Mexicans have learned English over the generations, just like other immigrant groups have done in the past.  Hopefully, people can see past the argument that Latino immigrants do not want to assimilate into American culture because that is obviously not the issue.  This country needs to figure out an effective immigration policy that does not allow for silly arguments, like assimilation, to happen.

Is it possible?

Following up with the remarks of Bill Richardson, The Los Angeles Times reported that the White House, along with the senate, are pushing for the Dream Act Legislation during this lame duck period.  The article explains that some, including immigration expert Angela Kelley, see this legislation as a good strategy for both the Democrats and Republicans.  Another political analyst, Javier Ortiz, does not see the need for Republicans to pass the legislation.  He explains that Latinos will vote for Republicans independent from immigration reform.

I found this article interesting because we have discussed in class the Dream Act passing during the lame duck period.  Overall, I think it would help both parties to pass this legislation because the Democrats will not appear so defeated, and it looks like the Republicans will work towards bi-partisanship in the next two years.  I honestly do not think Ortiz's point on Latino voters will always hold true.  The reelection of Harry Reid over Sharron Angle demonstrates that Democrats still do benefit tremendously from the Latino demographic.  I think what Congress decides to do with this legislation will set the tone on immigration reform for the next two years.  If it passes, I hope that the politicians can work to pass more immigration reform under the new Republican-run House, but if the Dream Act fails to go through, I do not believe we will see any reform for at least two more years.