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Contact: Helen Machado
202 225-1766
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DREAM Act Co-Author Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34): We Will Keep Fighting Despite Senate Setback
Senate Vote to Advance measure toward final passage failed in a 55- to- 41 vote today – 60 votes were needed to break a GOP-led filibuster.
Washington,
Dec 18, 2010 -
Following the December 8 passage of the DREAM Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate Democrats came up short today (12/18/2010) in their bid to pass the legislation, denying countless undocumented young people the chance to participate in our democracy and give back to our communities. In response, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard—an original co-author of the House-version of this critical legislation (HR 1751)—condemned the heartbreaking vote but pledged to continue fighting to fix America’s broken immigration system.
“Today in the U.S. Senate, politicians employing scare tactics and offering false claims and misinformation won a temporary victory which will tragically prevent children raised in America from earning the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. Yet, despite this setback, I remain confident that we will ultimately prevail in the struggle to enable undocumented youth to pursue their dreams. Be assured that just as I have for the last decade, I will continue fighting to ensure that the intellectual gifts of so many are not squandered.’”
The Dream Act offers a prudent, equitable solution to the challenges that undocumented students face in accessing higher education and employment. It provides a path to legalization and citizenship to students who entered the U.S. before the age of 15, have lived here for 5 years, and have completed two years of higher education or military service.
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