Today's Date: March 29, 2024
Amerex Group Unveils Red Carter Swimwear's Revitalized Collection   •   YMCA of the USA Partners With Old Spice To Increase High School Graduation Among Boys And Young Men Of Color Through Mentorship   •   VIRGIN HOTELS CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE TRAVEL FOR NEURODIVERSE TRAVELERS   •   Empire State Realty Trust Receives WELL Health-Safety Leadership Award; Becomes Among the First Commercial Office and Multifamil   •   Make-A-Wish and celebrity wish granters announce goal to recruit 1 million people to become "WishMakers"   •   Anaergia Announces Escrow Closing of Second Tranche of the Strategic Investment   •   Carnegie Learning Named 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Finalist for Best Educational Game and Best AI Implementation in Ed Tech   •   Jamieson Wellness Publishes Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report   •   Visit Visalia Recognizes Autism Awareness Month in April   •   Anaergia Announces Delay in the Filing of Its Audited Financial Statements and Related Disclosures   •   Equalpride Partners with TransLash Media for Trans Day of Visibility, Amplifying Voices of Black Trans Femmes in the Arts   •   Sypher Secures Strategic Partnership with FAIA to Fuel Growth   •   Parkland Corporation Announces the Results of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders   •   Suffolk Kicks off 2024 “Build With Us @ Suffolk” Program in Boston for Trade Partners, Opening Doors for Minority-,   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Expands OTC Portfolio for Children with the Introduction of bébé Bottoms™   •   Midea Group releases its first-ever ESG brand story with an unexpected VIP visit highlighting its commitment to sustainability.   •   Coachella Concerned That People Have Sex, Says AHF   •   National University Receives 2024 Military Friendly® Gold Designation   •   Fosun Management on 2023 Annual Results: Focusing on Core Industries with Established Advantages
Bookmark and Share

Lawmakers Labelled As "DREAM Killers" After Vote

 El Diario/La Prensa, Editorial, Staff

WASHINGTON - The young people sitting in the Senate gallery —wearing caps and gowns to symbolize their aspirations—should have seen a display of compromise, a manifestation of democracy and common sense among elected representatives.

Instead, they saw politicians at their worst—playing politics over policy.

Senate Republicans—each and every one of them—blocked a vote that could have opened the door to the DREAM Act. This bill would allow eligible undocumented youth a chance at legalizing their status upon meeting certain criteria—either completing two years of college or military service.

Democratic senators from Arkansas joined Republicans in refusing to allow a procedural vote to move on a defense authorization bill. This has stalled what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised to do—introduce the DREAM Act as an amendment to the defense bill. It also squashed an amendment that would have repealed the policy of "don’t ask, don’t tell" for gays in the military.

The flimsy argument by Republicans is that the amendments were not related to defense. Amendments that allow troops to be replenished and that move our armed forces into the 21st century obviously are.

But this only the latest Republican cop out. Each time legislative sponsors have tried to move the dream forward, most Republicans have bucked. And in doing so, they continue to not only let down desperate but determined young people, but also a nation that could use their talent.

Arizona State University President Michael Crow is among the educators who sees no sense in investing in the schooling of immigrant children only to shut the door on them when they are poised to reach higher education. "This is about talent acquisition," Crow and other higher education leaders emphasized in a teleconference.

Business leaders have come out in favor of the DREAM Act. So have religious leaders. But Republicans won’t budge on this moral, educational and economic question.

We urge Latino voters to take this issue to the midterm elections.

Editor's Note:  El Diario/La Prensa printed a list of the "enemies of the dream": the U.S. Senators who voted against the DREAM Act. In its online edition, EDLP ran 
photosof these senators, along with their phone numbers, and the message: "Make your voice heard."


STORY TAGS: HISPANIC , LATINO , MEXICAN , MINORITY , CIVIL RIGHTS , DISCRIMINATION , RACISM , DIVERSITY , LATINA , RACIAL EQUALITY , BIAS , EQUALITY



Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News