American Dreamers og papirløse ungdommer

Rett før jul led Demokratene det som Obama har kalt sitt største nederlag som President. 8. desember stemte Representantenes Hus ja til den såkalte DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) med 216 mot 198 stemmer. Loven skulle gjøre en rekke ungdommer med ulovlig opphold i USA, og som har tatt utdanning og/eller har gått inn i militæret, til amerikanske statsborgere. Disse papirløse ungdommene, ulovlig brakt inn i landet av sine foreldre, kaller seg Dreamers.

Filibuster

Dessverre stanset Republikanerne lovforslaget i Sentatet med filibuster. Filibuster er å nekte forslaget å komme til votering. For å stanse filibuster trengs 60 av de 100 stemmene i Senatet, men forslaget nådde ikke mer enn 55 stemmer. 41 stemte imot å bringe det fram til votering.

Huckabee for DREAM Act

Etter jul har det nye Representantenes Hus med Republikansk flertall tatt sete, og Demokratenes flertall i Sentatet har skrumpet inn, så DREAM Act er enda lenger unna realisering, selv om også flere profilerte Republikanere støtter lovforslaget. Deriblant den konservative Republikaneren Mike Huckabee, som for øyeblikket ligger best an på målingene i kampen om å bli Republikanernes Presidentkandidat i 2012. Han sier følgende (se her):

HUCKABEE: When a kid comes to his country, and he’s four years old and he had no choice in it — his parents came illegally. He still, because he is in this state, it’s the state’s responsibility – in fact, it is the state’s legal mandate – to make sure that child is in school. So let’s say that kid goes to school. That kid is in our school from kindergarten through the 12th grade. He graduates as valedictorian because he’s a smart kid and he works his rear end off and he becomes the valedictorian of the school. The question is: Is he better off going to college and becoming a neurosurgeon or a banker or whatever he might become, and becoming a taxpayer, and in the process having to apply for and achieve citizenship, or should we make him pick tomatoes? I think it’s better if he goes to college and becomes a citizen.

State of the Union

Det ser heller ikke ut som om Obama og Demokratene vil gi seg. Under State of the Union-talen sin i slutten av januar kom Obama tilbake til saken. Les og se utdraget av talen under. Kanskje har vi noe å lære av både Obama og The American Dreamers her hjemme?

One last point about education. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens. Some are the children of undocumented workers, who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents. They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.

Now, I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. And I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows. (Applause.) I know that debate will be difficult. I know it will take time. But tonight, let's agree to make that effort. And let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation. (Applause.)

Se utdrag av talen her: