Murkowski Supports DREAM Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today voted to end debate and move to a final vote on the DREAM Act, but the motion failed by a vote of 55 to 41. She released the following statement after the vote:
“I support the goal of the DREAM Act which is to enable children who were brought to the United States by their parents to earn citizenship through service in the Armed Forces or pursuit of higher education. I do not believe that children are to blame for the decision of their parents to enter or remain in the United States unlawfully. The reality is that many of these children regard America as the only country they ever knew. Some were not even told that they were unlawfully in the United States until it came time for them to apply for college. America should provide these young people with the opportunity to pursue the American dream. They have much to offer America if given the chance.
“Unfortunately, the bill we voted on today was doomed to fail for a number of reasons, including the fact that there was no room for debate or amendments. But I felt that this legislation was a beginning and represented one small way to deal with a subset of the larger immigration debate. I firmly believe that Congress needs to embrace the wider immigration question, starting with securing our borders, and I plan to work with my colleagues on this issue in the new Congress.”
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