“The president made it absolutely clear to us that he would leave no stone unturned” in pushing for Senate approval of the law known as the DREAM Act, said Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, head of Obama’s Democrats in the Senate, has said he wants to add the immigration measure to a defense policy bill the Senate plans to take up before lawmakers leave town to campaign for the November elections.
Republicans oppose that move and have accused Reid of playing politics with the bills.
Some military leaders support Reid because of the recruitment potential for the armed services. Under the bill, the young people must have come to the United States before age 16 and have lived in the country for at least five years. At least two years of military service would be required.
“The president noted that it is time to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents, especially when those youth grew up in America and want to serve this country in the military or pursue a higher education,” the White House said in a statement after Obama’s meeting at the presidential mansion with Gutierrez, Rep. Nydia Velazquez and Sen. Robert Menendez.
All three are Democrats.
When Obama was a senator he supported the DREAM Act, which has been kicking around Congress for close to a decade.
The meeting followed Obama’s speech Wednesday night at a Hispanic awards dinner, where he urged Latinos not to punish Democrats at the polls because he has been unable to keep his promise to sign a comprehensive immigration bill into law.
Advocates, meanwhile, are launching a major lobbying effort for DREAM, enlisting educators, clergy and others to press senators to support the measure.
