La Migra y Usted: Our last chance to make the dream a reality

By Armando Garcia

In the next session of Congress starting in January, the prospects for passing the Dream Act are terrible. The Republican House will not consider that piece of legislation that would benefit undocumented immigrant students, much less comprehensive immigration reform.

The House Judiciary Committee and Immigration Sub-Committee will be headed by some of Congress’ most rabid anti-immigrants: Lamar Smith and Peter King respectively. The next Senate will have less votes for the Dream Act because of the defeat or retirement Democrats who favored such legislation, and three Republicans who have been open to it. There will be no chance of getting the 60 votes required in the Senate for cloture in 2011.

In the next session, the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform are even worse than for the Dream Act. In the lame duck session there is no chance for comprehensive immigration reform.

There is also no chance of comprehensive immigration reform in the lame duck session of Congress.

There is no reason not to do everything possible to win the Dream Act now. There is not much time left. If we do not succeed, there will not be much chance to pass it or any other major immigration reform bill until 2013.

All Hispanic Americans and those who support immigrant rights issues should call and tell politicians and others to move them to help pass the Dream Act before Republicans take over the House of Representatives.

What President Obama does now to help or hurt the Dream Act will have a big effect on whether Hispanic Americans vote for him in 2012. This may be more important than what our representatives do over the next two years since prospects of any major immigration legislation in the new Congress are so slim.

Latino, Asian and other voters from immigrant communities and others feel that President Obama did not come through on his promises during the 2008 election campaign to bring forward a proposal for immigration reform. Now, he has the opportunity to win the Hispanic voter confidence back.

We, citizens of Hispanic decent, feel that the Republican Party is attacking immigrants and opposing fair immigration reform. As the elections in Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and other places show, the Latino vote is becoming more and more important in every election. Now, Republicans have the opportunity to demonstrate that they are not anti-Latino and anti-immigrant. What they do now on Dream Act will have a big effect on how we will view individual Congresspersons and the Republican Party in 2012.

La Migra y Usted is a column that is published nationwide dealing with immigration issues. It also answers question readers may have on immigration procedures. Please send questions to: lamigrayusted@gmail.com. If anyone need assistance of have a question call the MigraNetCenter at (210) 390-5731.