Senate Live Feed & Senate Vote Update

Eagerly anticipating the outcome of the DREAM Act vote, I was just looking on the Internet and realized that CNN has a Senate live feed from their Politics page. Today is the long-awaited day to find out what will happen!

UPDATED:
The Senate did not have enough votes to bring the DREAM Act to a vote. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the hard work of all those advocating for the DREAM Act. Though it appears it will be more difficult in the coming year with the newly elected Senators that will take office in January, I am still hopeful that eventually it will pass.

The Time is Now - The DREAM Act 4

The time is now. I have mentioned in posts since last weekend that right now is a critical time for the DREAM Act. I talked about why I believe in the Act, as well as including links from Administration Officials' blog posts on the White House blog. The three most recent are from Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, Eric Holder, Attorney General, and Chris Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary.

Tomorrow the Senate will be voting on the DREAM Act. You can make a difference now by calling 1-866-587-6101 to be connected with a senator still wavering on the DREAM Act. I am crossing my fingers for good news tomorrow!

DREAM Act 3

The White House blog now has two new posts advocating for the DREAM Act, one from Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano and the other from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Dr. Clifford L. Stanley.

The DREAM Act 2

Saturday I posted about the DREAM Act and why I think it is essential and could have a positive impact for many students. I have been pleased to see the support for the Act coming from the White House blog, which is currently doing a series on the Act. If you would like to hear more why the it would be beneficial, I recommend you seeing the posts from Secretary of Education - Arne Duncan, Secretary of Labor - Hilda Solis, and Secretary of Commerce - Gary Locke.

I am also impressed with the students who have been working hard to raise awareness for the cause through marches and hunger strikes. It takes a lot of courage to draw attention to oneself knowing others will criticize you. Yet, these students are working not only for their own futures, but also for others who would benefit from the Act.

Here's to hoping for a good outcome in the Senate this week!

The DREAM Act

I have been hearing about The DREAM Act since I was an undergraduate, and I always get excited about it potentially passing. Now, more than ever, it seems like it might finally become reality. Last week the House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act, and now it is up to the Senate. From what I have heard, this is a crucial time because if it does not pass now, it is unlikely to pass anytime in the near future. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote a post on the White House blog emphasizing the importance of the Act, and there have also been press releases about it (here and here).

As a teacher I am inspired by students every day - their drive, their dedication, and their dreams. Yet, I know that for some students all over the United States, their opportunities will be limited upon graduation because of their status as undocumented immigrants. Many who find themselves in this scenario were too young to be able to make the decision to come to the United States, yet as adults they have to deal with the consequences.

After dedicating my career to helping all of my students realize their potential and set high goals for themselves and watching students give their best effort, it is frustrating and disheartening to see them having eventual obstacles to becoming productive, contributing members of society. As a professional, I have also seen the injustice first hand with a classmates in college whose family poured all of their energy  into supporting their child through college without any federal help, only to realize that she would not be able to utilize her degree upon graduation. She had so much to offer, and sadly, she is not alone...

Secretary Duncan explained the situation well at the end of his post:

The students of the DREAM Act are some of the country’s best and brightest.  They were raised and educated in America.  They are valedictorians, star athletes, community leaders, and are active in their faith.  They text and go to the mall.  They are Americans in every sense of the word.  They have deep roots here and are loyal to the country that has been the only home they’ve known.  They are our future pediatricians, teachers, and engineers — if we give them a chance.  They are exactly the type of young people America should be embracing.

But, unlike their classmates, DREAM Act students are in a bind.  It goes against the basic American sense of fairness to punish children for the choices of their parents.  But thousands of young people find themselves in that position.  We can’t let them continue to live unfulfilled lives of fear and squandered hopes.  We need to act before we lose this generation.  It’s who we are as Americans, at our best.  The time is now.

President Obama's comment in one of the press releases also describes the importance:

The DREAM Act corrects one of the most egregious flaws of a badly broken immigration system. A flaw that forces children who have grown up in America, who speak English, who have excelled in our communities as academics, athletes, or volunteers to put their lives and talent on hold at a great cost to themselves and our nation.

I also congratulate the House for moving past the tired sound bites and false debates that have pushed immigration rhetoric into the extremes for far too long. The DREAM Act is not amnesty; it’s about accountability, and about tapping into a pool of talent we’ve already invested in. The DREAM Act is a piece of a larger debate that is needed to restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system broadly.  My administration will continue to do everything we can to move forward on immigration reform; today’s House vote is an important step in this vital effort.

I urge those who are in favor of the DREAM Act to take the time to contact senators in this crucial time for the Act. For those who have not heard much about it, you have the opportunity to make a big difference for numerous students by seeking out information about the Act and taking action to support it if you find it aligns with your philosophy as an educator and sense of social justice.