Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D) encouraged Republicans to consider passage of the DREAM Act as a good faith down payment on immigration reform; one that could lead Democrats towards meaningful entitlement reform he said.
Durbin told Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on Fox Sunday News program that if the GOP passed the DREAM Act, Democrats would be more willing to talk about reducing the country’s spending habit. In other words, Republicans would give amnesty to illegal aliens in exchange Democrats would go along with some spending cuts. The stuff smoked-filled back rooms are made of.
The reintroduction of the DREAM Act comes after the President made a trip to the Texas/Mexico border last week and berated Republicans for moving the goal post and needing a moat with alligators in order to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform.
Republicans argue that Obama’s idea of immigration reform is nothing more than amnesty and future Democratic voters. Republican lawmakers on the Hill predict the bill will go nowhere because the Congress must focus on increasing the country’s deficit, passing a 2012 budget as well as implementing meaningful cuts to reduce the nation’s ballooning $14 trillion deficit.
However, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, that would grant millions of illegal immigrants in the country amnesty is a dream that never dies for those on the left. The Democrats simplistic plan says that offering illegal children a college education or the option to join the military as a means to join the legal immigration ranks will be an economic boom for the U.S.
Others, like Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) disagree.
“It (the DREAM Act) grants illegal aliens ‘conditional’ permanent resident status upon the receipt of a high school diploma, or simply enrolling in a college program or the military grants aliens normal LPR status (green cards) upon finishing two years of college or service in the military—requirements the Obama Administration can waive. It also authorizes states to give illegal aliens in-state tuition so that your tax dollars will openly be subsidizing illegal immigration; and it makes newly amnestied aliens eligible for numerous taxpayer-funded student loan programs,” FAIR contends.
Continue reading on Examiner.com