On Sept. 21, the United States Senate voted against adding the DREAM Act, along with a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. Although the Democrats in support of the addendums to the act were able to get a majority vote of 56 to 43, it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass new legislation.
On Sept. 14, Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid announced that The DREAM Act would also be included along with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, adding, “in our country, everyone who steps up to serve our country should be welcome.” The DREAM Act, which is controversial because of its implications on illegal immigration, applies to the defense act because it would allow non-native people to become legal citizens after serving two years in the military if they were under the age of 16 when they came to U.S. The same rule would also apply to college students who had completed two years of course work.
Republicans saw the inclusion of the DREAM Act as a backhanded move by the Democrats to include their own agenda in a bill that would also increase funding to the military in hopes of appealing to Hispanic and other minority voters. In reference to the Democrats in the Senate, Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina stated, “I don’t think anyone in the country will hold it against us for voting against their way of doing business.”
Although these events are all part of the calculated political process in Washington, many young people serving in the military and attending college are impacted greatly by these decisions. Diana Banderas, a future college student who was in attendance when The DREAM Act was voted down, told reporters, “I was kind of speechless. It’s something that hurt, but we are not stopping. They only gave us a chance and more time to get even bigger.” Those on both sides of these two hot button issues will continue to get “bigger” and voice their opinions. In Congress, Senators will surely be voting on gays in the military and immigration in the not so distant future and the outcome will again be decided by the current political landscape.