Associated Press
Mitt Romney quietly told supporters the other day that he'd like to see a "Republican DREAM Act" to help his party with Latino voters. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who's talking more and more about immigration policy, believes he has just such a proposal.
Hoping to boost his party's image with Hispanic voters, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) launched a one-man push Thursday to promote a modified version of legislation to benefit undocumented children whose parents brought them to this nation.
Repeatedly denying any interest in being the vice presidential nominee, Rubio used a pair of appearances Thursday to push legislation based around the "DREAM Act," a bill that Democrats have promoted to offer a path to citizenship for underage illegal immigrants who go on to college or into the military.
Rubio's working draft of similar legislation would grant legal immigration status to such children who were brought to the United States illegally by their parents. It would require that they graduated from college or served honorably in the military.
So, what's the problem? It depends on your perspective. For the left, this is a DREAM Act without the dream -- Rubio's version offers no pathway to citizenship. The conservative senator has admitted as much, saying, "You can legalize someone's status without placing them on a path toward citizenship." Rubio has said he doesn't want to help these immigrants become citizens for fear that they might -- que horror -- sponsor family members for legal immigration later.
For the right, there's a very different kind of concern. It's generally called the "Kobach test," named after Mitt Romney's right-wing immigration adviser, Kris Kobach, who's helped shape anti-immigrant laws.
For Kobach, proposals are necessarily "unacceptable" if undocumented immigrants receive any kind of legal status, even if it falls short of citizenship.
Does Rubio's watered down, GOP-friendly version of the DREAM Act pass the "test"? Rubio says it does, but his friends on the right disagree.
Greg Sargent talked yesterday to Crytsal Williams, the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, who
Rubio said today that his plan gives non-immigrant visas to children who have grown up with illegal status in the United States. There are various forms of non-immigrant visas; some are for workers; others for students; still others for tourists. They all confer temporary legal status provided the recipient follows certain guidelines.
By all indications, Williams tells me, Rubio's plan would confer indefinite legal status on formerly illegal immigrants. A non-immigrant visa confers legal status, and Rubio is suggesting their new status would be open-ended.
"I don't see how Mr. Rubio's proposal can possibly pass the Kobach test," Williams says. "His proposal allows the DREAMers to remain in the U.S. legally." The DREAMERS are the one million to two million people who were "brought here by their parents and have the ability to contribute to the country and are out of status right now."
Part of this is important because it will doom the "Republican DREAM Act" before Rubio is even able to formally introduce it. The right-wing base isn't fond of compromise, especially where illegal immigration is concerned, and they will find it easy to dismiss Rubio's bill as not nearly good enough.
And part of this is also worth considering as we realize how little wiggle room Republicans have left themselves on immigration policy in general.
Update: Kobach told Greg Sargent this morning that Rubio's version simply won't do. Kobach, a leading Romney advisor on immigration policy, still expects those who would benefit from a DREAM Act to leave the country first.
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I have said this before, and I wish commenters -- here and maybe taking it elsewhere -- would start pointing out that "Illegal Immigrants" come from all countries. I know of areas in NYC still populated by large groups of Irish "illegal immigrants" and I am quite sure there are Japanese, German, Scandinavian, Pakistani, Russian, and probably even British "Illegal Immigrants."
But Kobach & Crew have worked so hard to disguise a hatred of Hispanics as a worry about 'protecting the borders' and 'enforcing the laws' that, sadly, we've bought into it -- another example of Republicans 'controlling the dialogue.' But think about it. These laws that are being proposed will -- we know -- be enforced against only one group of 'illegals' -- or maybe two, if the proposer decides to go after the Pakistani or Middle Eastern ones and play the 'terrorist card.'
Can you imagine what it would do to the tourit trade in any of these states if police actually did stop anyone with an 'accent' and demanded they prove their right to be in the country. Something tells me there would be a lot of groups that would find other tourist places in the country that wouldn't come with a "May I see your papers, please" addition.
Yet we never call out the Kobachs on this, or ask how they intend to deal with non-Hispanic 'illegals' If we did, we might find the bigots a little toungue tied, and Rush would have to sacrifice himself yet again to deflect the discussion.
Maybe, maybe, we can start a pushback just by reminding people that 'illegal immigrant' does not always mean "Hispanic." A few comments on this might make a small but valuable difference.
Half of all Illegal immigrants here arrived via legal Immigration. 90% of those Illegal Immigrates that crossed are borders illegally crossed are southern border. The problem with Immigration laws are that the Federal government is not enforcing the laws that are already on the books.
So....if Rubio doesn't really add anything to the problem, we can call him, "Marco ---Pollo"! : )
Ironic how the people who came to America, the Land of Opportunity, now suddenly see the wisdom of the European system now that they are at the top of the food chain...
"Crytsal" Williams asks that her name be corrected.
Excellent point 'Shared paranoia' can replace shared sacrifice. He can try to get the cops to check for circumcisions to stop all the illegal Jewish folks and check the Amish for fake beards.
I recall the Good Old Days- not that long ago- when MLK said "I have a dream. . ."
Old people/Republicans do not like change, and are affronted by people speaking a language they do not understand. "English as the official language" is merely another thinly disguised form of racism.
I must confess that I do not understand how Rubio's proposal would not lead to eventual citizenship. OK, he creates a new class of nonimmigrant under INA section 101(a)(15), so far so good. But, once the person's status is regularized, even as a nonimmigrant, other paths to legal immigration will be open, unless expressly closed. A nonimmigrant college graduate, working legally in the US for an indefinite period? If they marry a USC, what then? Will they be barred from 245 adjustment? And even if their spouse is only an LPR, eventually they will have children and when the child is 21, they can petition for their nonimmigrant parent. Pass the Kobach test? Doesn't come within a mile.
The law could amend multiple sections of the INA that might eventually allow the "offending" alien to become a citizen, but why? Why do we want a permanent underclass of educated workers in the US who are second class non-citizens? In whose interests would that be?
Personally I don't understand the right wing's attitude here. They claim that they are against abortion, but for capital punishment because abortion is, to their mind, punishing the innocent. And yet, they are all too willing to punish the innocent for anything that might have been done in their name after they are born. I guess you are only truly innocent while you are in the womb. Once the umbilical cord is cut and you draw an independent breath, you are on your own. Opposition to the Dream Act just makes it that much clearer what the stakes are in these debates.
"Why do we want a permanent underclass of educated workers in the US who are second class non-citizens? In whose interests would that be?"
Large corporations who own the Republican Party. They've spent decades destroying unions, and many of them already exploit undocumented immigrants. Having a permanent underclass workers who lack the rights of citizenship is truly a Dream act for them, and a nightmare for everyone else.
Majun, Rubio has said repeatedly that his plan would not deny or prohibit the DREAMers from obtaining Legal Permanent Residency and Citizenship. These are his words:
"All it does, [his plan] it takes something that already exists, which is it takes non-immigrant visas and applies it to children who have grown up in this country, who we spent thousands of dollars educating … [and] allows them to continue to contribute to this country and if they eventually decide they would like to become residents and then thereafter citizens, allow that to do that the same way that anybody else in the world would be able to do it, and that is by accessing the existing route that is now in place. "
The idea is not to create a permanent underclass of educated workers. the idea is to give to the DREAMers non-immigrant work visas, so they can work and study and pay for their college education and then, if they want, try to immigrate through other channels. There are foreigners on non-immigrant work visas already in this country, they live here and pay taxes and social security and medicare and property taxes and all that. Their visas do not give them a pathway to citizenship but it does not prohibit them from trying to obtain it through other means; this is what is called "dual intent non-immigrant visa". Rubio simply wants to create another category eligible for work visas, namely the DREAMers.
Your right pathway to citizenship would come to those non-immigrant visas. If not in the Romney administration propally in another future administration. This is done not to alarm fellow GOP that is against any type of amnesty.
Alright, Prup. I totally agree with you 100%. These laws are created only in reaction to latinos and even middle easterners. But mostly Latinos: looking at the southern border. I think the sanctity of San Francisco will find itself inundated with a new immigrant population if the GOP has its way. I am not quite sure where this bias began and do not understand it. Even Bush tried to create a day labor bill which was killed by both parties. Imagine that.
It makes me sad that my husband doesn't have a chance of becoming a citizen, given he is married to me (a citizen) and has a child that is one...but due to the misfortune of being brought here illegally, he is in the group that will have to go back to his home country for a minimum of 10 years in order to gain citizenship (well, there is a 50/50 chance of that time frame, but highly likely). This time is charged in hopes that the hopeful immigrant will give up and stay in his "home land". America is considered the home land now, not the Central America...that is now his heritage.
So Rubio is bringing back his "American Apartheid Act"?
Which of course is too liberal for the actual Republican Party.
We need to start figuring out who the actual shadow cabinet of the Republican Party is. So far I've got:
Treasury Secretary: Grover Norquist
Homeland Security: Kris Kobach
Commerce Secretary: David Koch
(Michelle Bachmann and Allan West are co-chairs of HUAC, but that's not a cabinet position)
......so the argument is we are mad about immigration not because we hate Mexicans, but because we don't want them to come here illegally....
....but then we don't want to help them get legal immigration status or citizenship
Did I miss something?
I'm always ready to flinch when I say that immigrants came to America, which was first inhabited by natives, then taken over by Europeans like France, Spain, etc.
I am a native Californian, but I know the native Americans first had land taken from them (land owning was foreign, but hunting and dwelling areas were made generational) by Spaniards that claimed California as part of Mexico. That is why somewhere around half of the city names are Spanish words that some folks do not even know. Yes, El Segundo is Spanish and Cucamonga is roughly translated from Native American language of unknown meaning, according to
Light over the mountain: A history of the Rancho Cucamonga area by Donald L Clucas
and more references http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._place_names_of_Spanish_origin
Then, we had the migration West of the rest of mostly European transplants to further infiltrate what had been originally native lands.
I think some folks need to know we are highly unlikely to retain the dominance that some feel a right over those migrating from other places.
I know people feel threatened by the other languages, but the native, Spanish and French words are firmly anchored in our history in America, whether we know it or not.
Pershaps we need a reality check, the job skills in higher demand may require learning some other language, just like learning computer skills is a change from the past. Not likely to change business practices to exclude a growing market or drive potential customers away.
The language adaptation is from a marketing standpoint, just like including Jews when we say Happy Holidays, to include other potential customers. It is a marketing strategy that drives much of the language translators, etc.
I think it is clear that there was no stopping the prior immigration, so I do not think we can stop this one. The Irish were once scapegoats, but now it's Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and other Central and South American people coming north.
I think securing the border is fine, but we cannot make it impenetrable or stop the population from speaking another language, especially when it's already a large part of our history.
The whole planet has been constantly changing due to migration. Some people feel entitled, threatened and fearful of losing entitlement. Just like always.
The problem with most Illegal Immigrates is that are not assimilating into our culture.The prior Immigrants learned to speak English. Illegals send Billions of dollars back to their country of orgin. They cost the American Tax payers Billions of dollars on education, medical care, and prisons. America needs a Official language. There is already enough misunderstanding in one language let alone 100's. If I was Illegal in this country I would learn the English language. These indivial are usally being exploited by Spainish speaking employers. I know here in Los Angeles those illegal Immigrants that have learned the English make twice the money, especailly in the Malibu area.
"What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?" Langston Hughes (shorter Marco Rubio)
uhemm. the dream act already is a "republican dream act". who named and introduced it in the first place?
And just how did Marco Rubio become a citizen? Didn't his family come here from Cuba??
How did THEY become citizens??
If a fellow Cuban lands on American soil. They are allowed to remain in American. They are from a Communist Country that has poltical prisoners.
Would it help the intention or some to make a set of second class citizens, who have no rights, protections, no wage standards, and no possible medical treatment, with an implanted micro-chip to with scanning to detail their status? The Supreme Court has declared Corporations as people, Money as free speech, a very few more rulings, and we can have Corporations as citizens, and then to hold office, and collect benefits.
Then as money is free speech it could be taxed, or used as a tax deduction, or as an earned income credit if you remain silent, a whole new market for the free speech franchise. Along these same lines illegals could be declared non-people, and sub designations provided by how closely illegals can act like citizens; education; language skills and so forth.
More compelling is to allow people declare themselves corporations, and gain access to the new super citizen class, by purchasing other corporate persons, corporate families. Groups of small businesses could unionize, and collectively declare themselves "too big to fail", qualifying for no tax status and of late just keep all the tax revenues to improve their bottom line.
Yes this looks more complicated, but chaos is opportunity, an economic boom. The as matter of course, a complete analysis would suggest many organizational inefficiencies, like too many bosses, too much overhead, too many meetings. The conclusion supports the ultimate grand scheme, a single corporation, and giant/huge organization flexible able to uh, act like a really big government with all the pieces working, and cooperating.
Call it maybe America USA Inc., One Corporation One Nation, with a small subsidiary for government type functions, and another subsidiary for defense.
This is a great new idea, except for the problem of foreign corporations and huge foreign investment like from oil producing countries, hum, ah, these could be granted corporation immigration status, or money visas, and this would keep the rules straight, no poor foreign corporations or poor money visa corporations allowed!
Only one problem remains; who would be making these rules? And why would you need any rules at all since the free market solves all the problems. (Remember huge dinosaurs ruled the Earth a 1,000 times longer than man has, and that was a free market with no rules.)
America USA Inc., One Corporation One Nation - Is that a democracy?
Free Enterprise has created more wealth this world than any other system combine. America is also the most Chartiable. Why would you want to change that system?
The problem with most Dream Acts is for the allowance Illegal Immigrant Felons to gain a pathway to citizenship.