The DREAM Defence

[Pooky 3,828]

Reid adds controversial immigration measure to defense bill

Posted: September 14th, 2010 05:55 PM ET

From CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett

Washington (CNN) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he will add the DREAM Act, a controversial immigration measure, to a defense policy bill the Senate will take up next week.

The decision means the defense bill, which often passes with bipartisan support, will be home to two major, thorny political issues – the other being the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Reid called the DREAM Act "really important" and said it should be passed because it provides a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants who go to college or serve in the military. DREAM is an acronym for Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act.

"I know we can't do comprehensive immigration reform," Reid said at a news conference. "But those Republicans we had in the last Congress have left us."

Many Hispanic voters are angry with Democratic leaders for not doing more to pass an immigration overhaul. The decision by Reid to add the DREAM Act now could help soothe that anger.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called Reid's decision "needlessly controversial."

The Senate will need 60 votes to take up the bill next week, and Reid said Tuesday he doesn't know if he has enough votes.

CNN Political Ticker

What on earth is the DREAM Act doing as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill?

Harry Reid is a weasel. If Dingy Harry wants to put the DREAM Act before the Senate, he should put it forward on its own, not play political games that are so transparent and unsubtle as to remove all doubt about his intentions. His wish to cast the GOP as unpatriotic by daring them to vote against the Defense Authorization Bill is about as obvious as it gets. Here's hoping the American electorate see through this effort, realise who is creating the fuss here, realise who will be playing games with service men and women's lives, and get rid of the Senate majority leader in November.

[Heracles 417]

who go to college?

Cannot wait to hear the libs justify this one. So while American kids like the minorities their hearts allegedly bleed for are left in squalor, the uber-wealthy States are throwing around college educations.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Nightmare of magnitude beyond that which I already experienced (due to increased delays in legal immigration processing resulting from 1986 Scamnesty--btw, the effects are STILL being felt by potential legal immigrants)

[Obama 2012 1,714]

this is the exact same bullshit they pulled with the "Matthew Shepard Act"

The bill itself couldn't stand on its own in congress, so they added it to the defense spending bill.

It's a lose/lose situation:

If you vote for it - you're pro illegal immigration

If you vote against it - you're against the troops

The lesser of two evils is the troops.

It actually almost treasonous when legislation is passed this way.

One of my political ambitious goals is to get laws made where things like this CANNOT ever happen.

I want a law passed so that If an amendment is added to a bill, it must be directly related to that bill.