It’s good to see a voice from Texas take on Marco Rubio and his scaled down version of the DREAM Act in which beneficiaries would not enjoy the benefit of citizenship.
San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro warned Wednesday that a Republican-proposed DREAM Act without a path to citizenship for children brought here illegally was akin to “cotton candy politics.”
“It smells good, it might even taste good, but it’s really lacking in substance,” said Castro, an adviser to the Barack Obama re-election campaign.
I agree with Castro that this is simply a move by the GOP to somehow gain Latino votes in December. The Rubio plan would be an attempt to soften Mitt Romney’s position that only those who volunteer for military service deserve the benefits of DREAM, and not those who have earned good grades and have made it through college study.
There are some on the pro-DREAM side who argue that at the very least, some sort of status will allow them to work and pay taxes; however, I’m of the opinion that citizenship must be part of the equation in order to avoid any semblance of taxation without representation. In other words, the right to vote in elections. Some have gone as far to call it a “modern 3/5 clause.”
Of course, I would probably be told by a DREAMer that it is easier said than lived, since we are talking about young immigrant students who live in fear of deportation, given President Obama’s deportation policies. In fact, United We DREAM released a statement on the Rubio’s change of heart of DREAM.
UWD stands for legislation that will enable immigrant youth to live in this country without fear of deportation, give immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue their dreams, and ensure that immigrant youth have the opportunities to fully contribute to our communities and our economy.
We look forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans in the coming months to fight for real change for immigrant youth. We expect both sides to put aside partisan politics and join in open and meaningful conversation about our futures. Senator Rubio has entered into a dialogue that affects communities in every corner of this nation. We hope that he takes this opportunity to bring the Republican party together in welcoming the talents and service that immigrant youth offer and does not allow for a another republican gridlock on this issue.
Rubio has yet to actually file a bill. He’s probably too busy running to be a choice for Veep, but there are some on the pro-DREAM side who want to call his bluff on this nightmarish version of DREAM. Considering nationalist lobbying groups like Numbers USA, are against the notion, Republicans may not be ready to support any version of DREAM before the election.
Nonetheless, I’m glad to see a Texas voice take on this issue at a national scale.
doscentavos.net 