Senator Cornyn: I Was For the DREAM Act Before I Voted Against It

In another slap in the faces of children, John Cornyn, the junior senator from Texas, voted to oppose bringing the DREAM Act to the Senate floor for debate. The federal version of the DREAM Act would provide education benefits for the children of illegal immigrants. A path to citizenship pulled right out under the feet of children who are in this country through no fault of their own.

This would be typical Cornyn “rubber stamp” antics except for the fact that, when asked last July, he said that he supported the DREAM Act.

It was in a 30-minute long teleconference between Cornyn and members of La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) last July. This is as reported in the Rio Grande Valley Guardian:

“Cardoso said the teleconference was partially used to garner support the AgJobs bill and the DREAM Act. The AgJobs bill would, in part, allow farm workers to commute for work within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM) Act would, in part, give tuition and financial assistance to certain immigrant children.”

“ ‘I have a record of support for the DREAM Act when it came through the senate judiciary committee. I want to make sure that what it does, is address children who obviously came with their parents,’ Cornyn said, as he participated in the teleconference.‘Most children obviously have no say in the circumstances in which they came to the United States. If there was someway to perhaps provide an opportunity for them to complete their education, and perhaps earn a path to legalization, I think that would be a positive development.’”

“Some LUPE members were dubious about Cornyn’s level of support for the DREAM Act. ‘You say you support it, but are you also willing to express initiative for the issue,’ asked one member.”

“ ‘I think my support is clear. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful in getting an immigration bill passed in the last month or so,’ Cornyn countered. ‘Back in 2005 I was co-sponsor of a comprehensive immigration bill that dealt with all aspects of the immigration issue…so you have my assurance that I’m not going to give up working trying to deal with it.’”

This is on Cornyn’s Senate website, explaining his Nay vote for DREAM.

“Unfortunately, this bill had nothing to do with helping children or addressing the critical issue of immigration reform, and everything to do with political posturing and partisan gamesmanship by the Senate Democratic leadership. This lack of seriousness was demonstrated by the decision to prevent any amendments to even be considered, including one that I sought to introduce which would have added a graduation requirement to the bill. If the goal is to promote education and strengthen our skilled workforce, and the proponents of the Durbin bill were serious about that objective, then one has to wonder why the bill did not even require students to complete a degree.”

So there you have it. The junior senator is all FOR the DREAM Act. What he is dead set against are all the senators who are using the legislation as a political football, kicking the educations of kids around so they can show the people how bad, bad, bad the Republicans are.

Or at least that’s what he says . . .

If that’s the case, then surely the Democrats (and some Republicans) in the Senate achieved this goal.

And don’t you find it deliciously ironic that the man Cornyn will face in November ’08 is the Texas State Rep who filed, promoted, and saw passage of Texas’ state version of the DREAM Act? Yep, with all the other things he did, Rick Noriega did that, too.