Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) is designing another version of the DREAM Act that would permit younger illegal aliens who are brought into the United States to remain in the country legally and to begin the process of becoming a citizen.
The senator explained on Tuesday that his plan does not attempt to create a “new pathway” to citizenship. The young illegal aliens would have to get in line to begin the citizenship process. However, his plan calls for a visa and the ability to apply for residency. “You have to wait in line,” he said, “but you get to wait in line in the U.S. legally.”
Sen. Rubio stated that he does not support the original DREAM Act, which was first introduced about ten years ago. That act would give conditional permanent resident status to illegal aliens under the age of 16 for a period of six years, after which they would be able to attain legal permanent status once they achieve an Associate’s Degree or serve in the U.S. military for two years. The original DREAM act has never been passed into law.
Mr. Rubio told the Tampa Bay Times that the original DREAM Act encourages “chain migration, because it creates a pathway to citizenship that can potentially encourage illegal immigration in the future.” The senator explained that, with chain migration, young people become an anchor for family members.
Despite the fact that Senator Rubio’s version of the DREAM Act is only an idea that has yet to be formally filed, it has already drawn criticism from the liberal media and liberal members of Congress.
Referring to Mr. Rubio’s idea as “the DREAM act without the dream,” the New York Times charged that the senator is “floating his stripped-down version of the Dream Act,” and that his “idea to make it palatable to his party is to offer them legalization without citizenship.”
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada), the Senate majority leader, also criticized Sen. Rubio’s plan, stating, “I’m going to do everything in my power to stop a watered-down version of the DREAM Act.”
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