Based on President Obama’s language today, you’d be forgiven for thinking he really wants to pass some sort of DREAM Act to help young adults who were brought here illegally when they were children.
“‘No’ is not an option,” Obama said at the White House’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. “I want to sign the DREAM Act into law. I’ve got the pens all ready. I’m willing to work with anybody who is serious to get this done, and to achieve bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that solves this challenge once and for all.”
But behind the scenes, the Obama administration is working to make sure Senator Marco Rubio’s DREAM Act doesn’t get any traction from the very young adults who stand to benefit. Salon reports:
Last week, presidential advisors Celia Munoz and Valerie Jarrett tried to discourage the dreamers from embracing Rubio’s proposal, saying it put at risk the original DREAM Act, which laid out a specific path to citizenship. According to the Washington Post, they had a meeting with DREAM Act-eligible students in Washington, arguing that “Rubio had not demonstrated he could win support from fellow Republicans and that the president would use his clout to push an immigration plan next year. ”
[DREAM Act activist Gabby] Pacheco, who attended the meeting, was not impressed with the White House appeal.
“You can’t wait until next year if you’re getting deported this year,” she said. She described the White House officials as “very strategic” in their opposition to Rubio.
So yes, Obama wants to pass a bipartisan immigration-reform bill. Unless it’s authored by say, a Republican.