Christie heralds DREAM Act as message to Washington
Updated 1:41 p.m. ET, 1/7/2014
Union City, New Jersey (CNN) – Flanked by Hispanic leaders, students, and immigration reform advocates, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie celebrated the signing of his state's so-called DREAM Act on Tuesday, hailing the new law a sound economic choice and an object lesson in bipartisan cooperation.
"We know that when we bring people together, when we work together despite some of our differences, that we also set an example of optimism for every one of the 8.9 million people who live here," Christie said at a signing event in Union City, a Hispanic stronghold just across the Hudson River from Manhattan.
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Rep. Steve King: 100 drug runners for every valedictorian 'DREAMer'
Washington (CNN) – Supporters of the Senate immigration bill's path to citizenship are blasting comments Iowa Rep. Steve King made last week where he said that for every young undocumented immigrant who is a school valedictorian, 100 more are "hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."
King made the comments in an interview Thursday with conservative news organization Newsmax. They were in response to criticism from anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, himself a supporter of the Senate immigration overhaul.
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Paul Ryan changes course on DREAM Act?
(CNN) – As some prominent Republicans change their position on immigration, look no further than tweaks to Rep. Paul Ryan's website for examples of the evolving stance.
While the House Budget Committee chairman's congressional site previously displayed clear opposition to the DREAM Act, it now states that immigration reform must include "finding a way forward" for children brought to the country illegally.
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DREAM Act stalemate top first term 'disappointment,' Duncan says
Washington (CNN) - Heading into a second term at the helm of the education department, Secretary Arne Duncan said Wednesday that the largest missed opportunity of President Barack Obama's first term was the lack of movement on an immigration reform measure.
"I think there's a moment of opportunity on both sides to get some soul searching maybe a little more on the Republican side," Duncan said. "We have to do something about immigration reform and one of my ... biggest disappointments of the first four years is that we didn't get the DREAM Act passed."
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Romney campaign: Kobach an 'informal adviser'
Washington (CNN) - Controversial anti-illegal immigration activist Kris Kobach is an "informal adviser" to Mitt Romney, a spokeswoman for the likely GOP nominee confirmed to CNN.
Kobach, who co-authored Arizona's illegal immigration law and currently serves as Kansas Secretary of State, said in an interview Friday that he still considers himself an "informal adviser" to Romney. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul agreed with that assessment in an email to CNN.
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Navarrette: GOP version of Dream Act holds promise
Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a CNN.com contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist
San Diego (CNN) - You may have heard that a group of Republicans in Congress - including GOP rock star and possible vice presidential pick Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida - are getting ready to introduce their version of the DREAM Act.You also may have heard that Democratic lawmakers and liberal advocacy groups despise the Republican alternative and derisively label it "DREAM Act Lite."
As someone who has written about immigration for more than 20 years and hammered Democrats and Republicans (including Rubio) when appropriate, I call the GOP approach to the DREAM Act something else: A common sense solution. It could break a stalemate and improve millions of lives. And it could only be opposed for ugly partisan reasons.
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Romney would veto DREAM Act
Le Mars, Iowa (CNN) - GOP candidate Mitt Romney pledged Saturday to veto any effort by Congress to create a path to citizenship for young adults in the United States illegally.
Romney's declaration was not out of step with previous statements he has made about the issue, but it appeared to be the first time the candidate directly said he would veto a congressionally-backed effort.
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Democrats consider new immigration reform push
Washington (CNN) – Democratic sources tell CNN that it's likely that Democrats on Capitol Hill –with the approval of the White House– will re-introduce some form of immigration reform, possibly as early as December. At this point, the details of any plan are unclear. But what is clear is that Democrats are interested in using their version of reform as a "contrast issue" to Republicans, who largely emphasize border security.
Sources say there are ongoing discussions among Democrats ranging from re-introducing comprehensive reform to bringing up the Dream Act again, which would allow the children of illegal immigrants who go to college or serve in the military to become citizens. The Dream Act was defeated last year.
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Democrats push DREAM Act despite Republican opposition
Washington (CNN) - Ola Kaso, who was born in Albania and came to America at the age of 5, described her predicament in a Senate hearing Tuesday.
"Despite my compliance with the law, there's no way I can achieve citizenship," said Kaso, now 18 and ready to start college in the fall at the University of Michigan. "Despite aspirations and hard work, I face deportation in one year."In short, she said, "I am a DREAM Act student."
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