House of Representatives took another step and really revealed what was behind this strategy. They added five negative riders to this Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. Their riders are the subject of immigration. Of course. the Department of Homeland Security has a responsibility when it comes to immigration. These riders were onerous and they threatened the very passage of this important legislation. so much so that the President of the United States has issued a veto threat if the Republican riders from the U.S. House of Representatives are included in the bill when it passes the Senate. The right thing to do. the smart thing to do. the thing to do to protect America is for us to pass the homeland security appropriation now so this agency has its money. We should remove the onerous and unfair riders that were attached by the House of Representatives. If we are to debate the negative aspects of immigration. lets save it for another day and not put this Department of Homeland Security at risk and the safety of America at risk over this political effort by the Republicans in the House of Representatives. One aspect of the House measure. an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriation. I find particularly troublesome. It was 14 years ago when I introduced the DREAM Act. It is hard to imagine it has been that long. But the notion behind the DREAM Act was if a child is brought to America by a family and is undocumented in this country and that child grows up in America. completes high school. and has no serious criminal problems in their background. they ought to be given a chance to either enlist in our military. to go to college. to get on a path toward legalization. That is the DREAM Act. Originally the DREAM Act had some Republican sponsorship. but over the years that support melted away.
Keywords matched
immigration undocumented