I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
After nearly a year of confrontational advocacy, a controversial immigration reform bill has passed the U.S. House.
The DREAM Act — the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act — passed the House by a 216-198 margin Wednesday. CNN reports the vote was mostly along partisan lines, and all three of New Mexico’s representatives — Democrats Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray Luján and Harry Teague — backed the bill.
If approved by the Senate, the legislation would create a pathway to citizenship for youth brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents. Under the proposal, a youth would have to have been brought to the U.S. before age 16, spent at least five years in country and obtained a high school diploma or a GED. If a youth meets those requirements he or she then would have six years to complete two years of college or university studies or a tour in the U.S. military. They will also have to pass a background check.
President Barack Obama, who supports the legislation, issued a statement praising the House vote:
I also congratulate the House for moving past the tired sound bites and false debates that have pushed immigration rhetoric into the extremes for far too long. The DREAM Act is not amnesty; it’s about accountability, and about tapping into a pool of talent we’ve already invested in. The DREAM Act is a piece of a larger debate that is needed to restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system broadly. My administration will continue to do everything we can to move forward on immigration reform; today’s House vote is an important step in this vital effort.
Youth advocates have been engaged in a full court pressure campaign to push for passage of the legislation. The pressure was ratcheted up last spring when a group of undocumented youth staged a sit-in protest in the Arizona offices of Sen. John McCain. They were arrested and later released. But upon release they were seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Opponents of the measure claim it is amnesty and will open the door to legalizing millions of undocumented residents.
