We are now certain that today is the day for the DREAM Act in both the House and Senate. Please keep calling! 866-967-6018 for the House. 866-996-5161 for the Senate.
To assist you in your calls, here are some talking points from the National Immigration Forum.
Why should your Representative support the DREAM Act?
• Because the public supports it—70%, according to a recent poll by First Focus.
• Because the military wants it. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates recently wrote a letter to the DREAM Act’s sponsor in the Senate in support of the DREAM Act. Retired Gen. Colin Powell has also spoken publicly in favor of the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act will help the military meet recruitment goals, because one of the ways students will qualify is to serve in the military.
• Because taxpayers deserve a return on their investment. Allowing immigrant students to continue their education and achieve their potential will translate into better jobs and higher tax revenue when these promising young people enter the workforce. A single-minded focus on enforcement, as proposed by anti-immigrant Members of Congress would deny taxpayers this return on investment, and result in higher deficits, cuts in other programs, or higher taxes to pay to deport these immigrant youth.
After the Senate completes its afternoon votes, depending on the outcome, it’s possible that Majority Leader Reid could go back to the FY11 Defense authorization bill. As he has pledged:
We are also going to repeal the discriminatory don’t ask, don’t tell rule. We are going to match our policy with our principles and finally say that in America everyone who steps up to serve our country should be welcomed.
Republicans know they do not have the votes to take this repeal out of the Defense authorization bill, so they are holding up the whole bill. But when they refuse to debate it, they also hold up a well-deserved raise for our troops, better health care for our troops and their families, equipment such as MRAP vehicles that keep our troops safe, and other critical wartime efforts in Afghanistan and counterterrorism efforts around the world.
We’ve been waiting 17 years for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But our troops are also waiting. Click here to contact your Senators, and here for information about this Friday’s rally at the Capitol.