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| Durbin Again Pushing DREAM Act |
(IRN)-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is making another effort to pass the DREAM Act.
Durbin reintroduced the measure this week. It would allow the children of illegal immigrants who were brought to this country as minors to gain legal status by enrolling on college or entering the military.
"It is the fair and just thing to do to give these young people a chance," Durbin said Friday afternoon at a rally in support of the measure at the Chicago office of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "These young people have been raised in America, they have gone to the classrooms of our schools and stood up every morning, giving the pledge of allegiance to the only flag they have ever known."
Durbin has been attempting to pass this measure for 10 years. Last year it passed the House but died when it couldn't overcome a filibuster in the Senate. Opposition to the measure has been from senators who say it amounts to amnesty that would encourage more illegal immigration, and from those who say it should be enacted only as part of comprehensive reform.
Among the mechanisms that are included in the current proposal to prevent abuse: Applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, they must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years prior to the DREAM Act becoming law, they must pass a criminal background check and the must not have turned 35 when the act becomes law.
Several college and university president, including University of Illinois President Michael Hogan, were on hand today to support the measure.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 05 13 11 by Newsroom |
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