7. Washington Watch:

GOP filibusters DREAM Act

The Washington Times reports that the Republican Party led a filibuster against the defense bill, which also ended Democratic hopes of attaching the DREAM Act as an amendment.  Two Democrats joined 40 Republicans in support of the filibuster, blocking the Senate from debating the legislation.  Democrats accused Republicans of hiding behind procedural rules while Republicans blasted the Democrats for trying to force immigration-reform debates on the defense bill.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) hopes to reintroduce the legislation after the November election.  The DREAM Act would offer a pathway to citizenship for illegally present immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before age 16 with two years of college or military service.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/21/gop-blocks-moves-on-gays-immigration/

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Napolitano: focus is on criminal immigrants

The Dallas Morning News reports that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano highlighted the record number of removals of criminals from the U.S. this year at a speech before the World Affairs Council, emphasizing that the her department focuses primarily on deporting criminals and gang members.  So far in 2010, 176,736 criminal immigrants have been removed form the U.S. by ICE, surpassing the 136,343 that were removed in 2009.  Napolitano also stressed that militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border was unnecessary and that patrol by civilian law enforcement and increased technology were sufficient to protect the border.

DallasNews.com
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Obama hopes GOP will ‘come to senses’ on DREAM Act after Nov.

The Hill reports that President Obama has vowed to fight for passage of the DREAM Act after November’s midterm elections.  In an interview with Spanish-language station Univision, Obama said he hopes Republicans who previously supported the measure will ‘come to their senses and recognize that this is the right thing to do.’  Republicans and Democrats accused each other of political maneuvering rather than tackling the issue when the measure was filibustered last month.

In addition, President Obama defended his position of making undocumented workers ineligible to buy health insurance as part of the new health reform law.  He emphasized that legislation providing a pathway to citizenship like the DREAM Act was important for exactly that reason: to allow immigrants the same benefits as everybody else.

 
TheHill.com

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Gutierrez confident DREAM Act still alive; will stump for Reid

The Hill reports that Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is actively campaigning for Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and commending him for his support of the DREAM Act.  Rep. Gutierrez, who is also chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s Immigration Task Force, pointed out a Senate rule that allows a bill to be brought to the floor for consideration with two days’ notice.  He is confident that the Senate will try to pass the legislation once more before its recess, but hopes they will hold an up-or-down vote instead of attaching it to the defense authorization bill or any other piece of legislation.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/120895-gutierrez-confident-dream-act-still-alive-will-stump-for-reid

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DNC chair says Latino vote is critical

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine is depending on a strong turnout from Latino voters.  Kaine expects a favorable margin among Latino voters and believes that the challenge for his party will be mobilizing voters and maximizing turnout.  Kaine, a former Central American missionary who is fluent in Spanish, conducted a Spanish-language press conference at a recent campaign stop in El Paso, Texas where he emphasized a ‘sharp difference’ between Democrats and Republicans on immigration-related issues.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=74316#ixzz129eqEEiH

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Angle takes heat for remarks to high school Latinos

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle is facing a backlash from Hispanics and Sen. Harry Reid’s campaign for comments she made at a Nevada high school.  When asked to explain images in her ads that criticized Reid for supporting illegally present immigrants, Angle tried to explain the difficulty in determining someone’s heritage in a mixed-race society and said some of the Hispanics in the room ‘look a little more Asian’ than they did Hispanic. Angle had already alienated her state’s Hispanic community, which makes up 12 percent of registered voters, through her vocal support of Arizona’s SB 1070. 

http://www.lvrj.com/news/angle-takes-heat-for-remarks-to-high-school-latinos-105231278.html?ref=278

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GOP senators call for hearing on immigration dismissals

The Houston Chronicle reports that Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and six other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee called for a hearing to investigate the dismissal of immigrations cases in Houston.  Beginning in August, Homeland Security attorneys filed to dismiss hundreds of cases in Houston involving suspected illegally present immigrants who have lived in the U.S. longer than two years without any criminal convictions.  While the senators accused the DHS of selective enforcement, the Obama administration has emphasized that its primary focus is removing criminals from the U.S.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/immigration/7258528.

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