Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Thanks Alex and Diana, appreciate your ponderings and it is shared with kindred spirits concerned for the students and the immigration plight.
Together, we shall move toward resolve, learning from each other and going forward pooling our information gathering.
dorinda
Not that I have been co-opted or anything, but working for Schumer has really made me question the politically feasibility of passing any sort of immigration bill before elections. I honestly doubt Schumer will move on the DREAM Act alone. He does really seem to support it, but CIR has been his baby for the last year or so, its unlikely that he will put his strategic negotiating with Republicans (and Dems for that matter) in jeopardy to pass this as stand alone legislation. It sucks that more wasn't done earlier this year to put CIR on the agenda, but at this point, I doubt that even seemingly feasible legislation like this will get passed before some sort of border enforcement gets through (that's why Schumer is so set on passing CIR rather than piecemeal bills). The political climate just makes it impossible, because Democrats are not all on the same page with regards to the timing of this. I am also wondering why the DREAMers haven't acted to put more pressure on Senator like Lugar, who is one of the original co-sponsors (and who, as a possibly immigration friendly Republican, may be more of a strategic target). Anyways, these are just some thoughts I have been having on the issue, based on the things I've seen on the Hill this quarter.GAHHH the system is so frustrating,alexOn Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 10:26 PM, Diana Solorio <dsolorio@stanford.edu> wrote:
_______________________________________________Senator Schumer M.I.A. on Pushing for DREAM Act Alone
By Renée Feltz
June 8, 2010 | Posted in IndyBlog | Email this articleEight days, seven nights, no food and no action from Senator Chuck Schumer on pushing the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill in the Senate.
Hunger strikers marked bottles of hydrating drinks with their initials. Photo: Renée Feltz“For him it’s a game for his own advancement in the world of politics,” said Yadira Alvarez, a recent graduate of Columbia University and an undocumented participant in the hunger strike. “For us, its about being able to get a job and support ourselves.”
Today, Alvarez and her fellow hunger strikers demanded to meet with Schumer to discuss the bill by Thursday or they would engage in non-violent civil disobedience.
Schumer replied by sending out his community outreach coordinator, Victor Pichardo, who said the senator could likely meet with them in another ten days, on June 18. He repeatedly stressed that Schumer supports the DREAM Act as chairman of the senate’s immigration subcommittee.
“We’re trying to push for the DREAM Act to pass in the best position possible,” Pichardo said. “We’re trying to include it as part of comprehensive immigration reform.”
But standing next to several brightly colored bottles of Pedialyte that the strikers drink to stay hydrated, Alvarez rolled her eyes. “I think that’s the thing we hate the most,” she said. “A strong supporter would be one who moves the DREAM Act forward this year by itself.”
Supporters of the DREAM Act say it could pass if Schumer focused on lining up more Republicans instead of on pushing an omnibus reform bill that is likely stir up much debate but may fail in an election year.
Diana Solorio
MEChA de Stanford E-Mail List
http://mecha.stanford.edu
https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/MEChA
--
Alexandra Salgado
Stanford University | Class of 2011
B.A. Candidate | Political Science & History
MEChA de Stanford | Co-Chair
Stanford Immigrant Rights Project (SIRP)
_______________________________________________
MEChA de Stanford E-Mail List
http://mecha.stanford.edu
https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/MEChA