The National Council of The Race ( La Raza) press release from yesterday regarding the DREAM ACT AMNESTY defeat.

Happy dance here!

Contact:
Marie Watteau
Cecilia Muñoz
(202) 785-1670FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 24, 2007

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED IN SENATE’S FAILURE TO PASS THE “DREAM ACT”

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today expressed profound disappointment over the U.S. Senate’s failure to move ahead with debate on the “DREAM Act.”

“Senators who voted against the ‘DREAM Act’ today are in effect telling thousands of young people that they should give up their hopes and dreams,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “These are our nation’s best and brightest and without action from Congress they will have no future. NCLR refuses to watch from the sidelines as the educational opportunities for these students waste away.”

The “DREAM Act” was derailed today by a 52-44 procedural vote. The Senate required 60 votes to move forward to full debate on this legislation.

“It is unconscionable that senators who are steadfastly opposed to any immigration reform used a procedural maneuver to kill this legislation,” continued Murguía. “I am particularly disappointed that the White House opposed this legislation. But the American people should take heart in the fact that the majority of the Senate continues to support the ‘DREAM Act’.”

Polls consistently show that the American people want Congress to fix our broken immigration system. The “DREAM Act” represents a commonsense policy response for a small group of children who have grown up in the U.S. and have known no other country. It has received bipartisan support from the majority of senators since it was introduced six years ago. Yet, thousands of young people continue to live in a legal limbo due to Congress’s inaction.

“Congress has had enough time to debate this legislation on the merits. The time to pass the ‘DREAM Act’ is now,” concluded Murguía. “NCLR applauds Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) for being such a champion on behalf of these children and it is our hope that through his leadership the ‘DREAM Act’ will be approved by this Congress soon.”

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