The push is on to help pass the DREAM Act, and a new ad was just put out with help from the usual good souls.
With both chambers of Congress planning to take up the DREAM Act this year, students who would benefit from the legislation are joining with labor and immigration reform advocates will unveil a six-figure ad buy in Spanish and English media. The ad campaign, co-sponsored by America's Voice, SEIU, Reform Immigration for America, Center for Community Change, and AFL-CIO, targets senators whose votes will be crucial to passing the DREAM Act, and will run in Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Texas.
The DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill that is supported by 66% of the American people, would enable young people who came to the country as children, but lack legal immigration status, to enlist in the U.S. military or attend college on their way to becoming full U.S. citizens. Seventy-five percent of Latino voters say passing the DREAM Act in short order is either extremely important or very important.
Harry Reid spoke out and is moving a vote forward on the DREAM Act. It's good to see him not forsake those that helped him the most.
Huff Post:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Tuesday that he is moving on a major piece of immigration legislation in the coming days, bringing the DREAM Act one step closer to becoming a reality. His comments followed a meeting with the Democratic caucus, in which several senators vocally urged their colleagues to make the legislation a priority.
In the caucus meeting, Reid discussed DREAM Act, and according to a Democratic source, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) was "very very vocal" in telling the other lawmakers that they need to make the vote a priority.
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According to a senior Democratic Senate aide, Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) are the three Democratic senators who have not yet stated a position on the DREAM Act and could be potential "yes" votes. There was some chatter amongst pro-DREAM Act supporters in recent days that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) could also be on board, but his office confirmed to HuffPost that he is voting "no."
You can always count on Ben Nelson to do the wrong thing. It's still going to be tough going. President Obama told me over a month ago that many members of Congress who once supported the legislation and even co-sponsored it from both sides of the aisle were now afraid to move forward, but things seem to be moving in a positive direction since the election. And WTF is wrong with McCaskill?
