Children of the American Dream: The Compassion Litmus TestIf it were the other way around — if Republicans instead of Democrats had one last hurrah in a lame-duck session — you know they would have no reservations about ramming bills through Congress. You have to admire that about Republicans; they have more cojones than Democrats. They also have a lot more gall, especially when they claim that Democrats should refrain from passing any legislation that would be opposed by incoming Republican lawmakers. It's hypocritical, and everyone knows it. But still we hear conservative extremists arguing that because many newly elected conservatives will join Congress on Jan. 3, Democrats should not take advantage of the simple fact that they still have majorities in both chambers of Congress. Frankly, Democrats would have to be stupid not to try showing their base that they still have the spirit to fight for their issues. But if the Democrats cave in during the lame-duck session, if some of them feel they have to swerve a little to the right on some key matters, not only is their party in deep trouble but also the battles they fight will suffer huge setbacks. One of them, for example, is immigration reform. If Congress doesn't pass the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act during the next few weeks, what hope will there be of passing comprehensive immigration reform when the new and much more conservative Congress takes over? The DREAM Act is the light brew of immigration reform. Out of some 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, it would grant a path to citizenship only to some 800,000 youths who were brought here illegally by their parents and have been raised as Americans. In most cases, the choice to come here illegally was made by their parents when they were too young to have a say about living their lives as illegal immigrants. Punishing them is grossly unfair. These are young immigrants who are pleading for an opportunity to go to college or serve in the armed forces and complete the American lives they already have begun. If deported, most of them would be complete foreigners in the countries where they were born. It's not as if these are additional kids we would be taking into our schools, our economy and society — as the media often make it seem.
The DREAM Act is a compassion litmus test. If you don't feel any sympathy for these young people, if you want to limit their potential to contribute to society and relegate them to lives as second-class citizens, if you are so hardened by illegal immigration that you don't see yourself giving amnesty even to kids, if you don't feel their frustration and pain, pinch yourself; you may not be alive! Even among the generally anti-immigrant Republicans in Congress — at least in the past — some have shown sympathy for young undocumented immigrants. A failed attempt to pass the DREAM Act in 2007 had the support of 11 Republican senators. That is the reason some optimists believe they will be able to find a few Republicans with hearts during the lame-duck session. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., won re-election because he promised Latinos that he would bring the DREAM Act to a vote in the lame-duck session. There is little doubt that he will try. The question now is whether he can get the "few good Republicans" he says he needs to get the bill through the Senate. It's probably a long shot, not only because an effort to pass the DREAM Act through the Senate failed only a couple of months ago but also because the immigrant-bashing zealots in Congress are mounting a new campaign to remind their followers that they must remain as Draconian as ever. While immigrant rights advocates held rallies to support the DREAM Act across the country last week, some GOP lawmakers reportedly were "gearing up to challenge the DREAM Act," which means we can expect a barrage of scare tactics designed to mobilize xenophobic, immigrant-bashing Americans. The compassion litmus test will be issued in Congress during the next few weeks. Will the Democrats stand united behind this bill? Will some Republicans do the right thing and support it? We are about to find out whether the children of the American dream have any place in our hearts. To find out more about Miguel Perez and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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