Lindsey Graham Mocks Dream Activists, Gives GOP Black Eye
Senate Republicans made no friends today when they failed to advance the Dream Act. In fact, their remarks were considered offensive. At the same time, they ended the hopes of thousands of young college aged youths to become part of US society for the foreseeable future.
Americans love the underdog. Our culture is based upon coming from behind. We cheer the hero, who battles despite short odds and defeats the bully. Republican Lindsey Graham was a bully in the Senate when he told students they were “wasting their time” because the most powerful country in the world had not sealed the border, so it was going to take it out on juvenile immigrants instead. He said they were playing a "Silly stupid game" aimed at turning Hispanics against Republicans, reported the SunTimes.com.
Clearly, after Republicans blocked hopes for comprehensive immigration reform for 2010, they could have saved the day by passing a token immigration bill called the Dream Act. Republicans refused, and launched a smear campaign against the Act, calling it Amnesty, something it clearly was not. Hispanic leaders, immigrant youth and a nation pulling for young people who merely want a taste of the American Dream were crushed when Republicans snuffed out the underdog like it was a cigarette under the heel of their boot.
The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act was designed to protect those few minor children of undocumented workers who were brought here when most of them were too young to remember. While their parents may have broken the law, only a bully punishes a child for the mistakes of his parents. Yet Senator Graham tongue-lashed the eager youths with remarks blaming the young people for their valiant fight for basic civil rights.
“To those who have come to my office...you are wasting your time” he said from the Senate floor.
Graham then blamed the youths for damaging the hopes for overall comprehensive immigration reform for all immigrants in 2011. The proposed law is called CIR, or CIRASAP indicating the urgency of the law, Comprehensive Immigration Reform As Soon As Possible.
“What they have done on the Dream Act is hurt overall comprehensive immigration reform,” Graham said after the Seante vote, according to The Hill.
Graham's remarks were cruel words for the young people leaving the nation's capitol with tears streaming down their cheeks. Graham has done everything in his power to block both the Dream Act and CIR. In fact, the securing of the borders has been in Graham's hands for a long time, but he has blocked it at every turn. CIR is first a border security bill. Now, Graham says he favors changing the 14th Amendment, which would deny citizenship to children of undocumented youths born on US soil. That would make them children without a country since no country would accept them without proof of citizenship in their parent's native country.
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