September 21, 2010

HACU deplores Senate Vote on DREAM Act

San Antonio, TX. "We deplore the outcome of today's vote taken by the U.S. Senate on the DREAM Act amendment to the National Defense bill, which would have allowed the states to offer college admission to undocumented youth, provide for the regularization of their immigration status if they met a number of stringent requirements and completed a college degree or enlisted in the U.S. armed forces," said Antonio Flores, President of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

The Senate vote was short of the 60 affirmative votes required to pass the proposed amendment and set back the passage of the DREAM Act for an unknown period of time. HACU has been at the forefront of efforts to pass such legislation and coordinated a national alliance, the Act on the DREAM Coalition, to this end. "HACU will continue to work with the U.S. Congress and the White House to strive for the enactment of the DREAM Act as stand-alone legislation or as part of comprehensive immigration reform, but we would not give up on this national effort for justice," added Flores.

"We commend Senators Reid and Durbin for their courageous efforts to pass the DREAM Act amendment and those Senators who voted with them. We urge those who didn't to reassess their position so that our nation can tap on the wealth of resources the DREAM Act would make available if passed," concluded Flores.