Editorial: U.S. Senate failed America's youths

Star Tribune

The productive lame-duck session of Congress offered much to celebrate: Ratification of the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, extension of unemployment benefits, stronger food safety measures, and repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy of discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The U.S. Senate, however, provided the session's most glaring failure: falling five votes short of passing a sensible immigration bill known as the DREAM Act, adopted by the House of Representatives earlier this month. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a sponsor of the bipartisan legislation, has vowed to continue the push for its passage.

The DREAM Act had been considered by many pundits as the least controversial of immigration reform issues.

The bill provided a way for immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children to gain legal status through military service or by attending college.

They would have had to meet stiff requirements, including a criminal-background check confirming that they hadn't committed a felony or three misdemeanors.

An impassioned Durbin pleaded for the bill, telling senators they seldom faced such a clear vote on a justice issue.

There's also a strong economic case to be made for the DREAM Act.

The country will need reinforcements for its aging workforce and military in the future, and the law would have created a clear path to citizenship for those who graduate from high school and complete two years of college or military service.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that passage of the law could reduce the federal deficit by as much as $2.2 billion over the next decade.

Sadly, the bill never made to the Senate floor for a vote, in part because of Republican opposition spearheaded by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Ironically, he'd coauthored the DREAM Act when it was introduced in 2001.

Back then, Hatch argued for the bill's passage on humanitarian grounds, saying it "would allow children who have been brought to the United States through no volition of their own the opportunity to fulfill their dreams."

The bill died in the Senate this month. A majority supported the measure, but five Democrats joined Republicans in sustaining a filibuster to prevent its coming to a vote.

Three Republicans supported the bill, calling it a matter of justice.

Hatch was absent for the vote.

Immigrants brought to the country as children obviously had no say in the matter of where they live. They shouldn't be blamed for their parents' lawbreaking.

Nor should they be left in limbo. They should be encouraged to become the upstanding citizens they long to be. But change may not come soon.

They're already shifting their rhetoric on immigration, saying they won't consider the DREAM Act until the U.S. borders along Mexico are secured. The latter is a politically charged and complicated matter not easily solved.

While the political bombast escalates, the lives of young people who could have benefited from the DREAM Act hang in the balance unnecessarily.