The Senate just voted on the DREAM Act. The vote was on a procedural motion, so 60 votes were needed to proceed to vote on the DREAM Act itself. It was not really all that close. 54 voted in favor, 44 against. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, as you may recall, would provide a path to citizenship for immigrant students with the grades and ability to go to college and those who serve two years in the United States military. The bill was initially conceived as a way to help young immigrants who grew up in the United States and play by the rules, and not penalize them for their parents' undocumented status. All major Democratic presidential candidates support the act.
Additionally, the New York Times published an editorial supporting the Dream Act this morning:
[the bill] focuses now on a narrow sliver of a worthy group: children who entered the country before age 16, lived here continuously for at least five years and can show good moral character and a high school diploma... If they completed at least two years of college or military service, they would be eligible for legalization... These young people — their numbers are estimated at anywhere from a million to fewer than 100,000 — are in many ways fully American, but their immigration status puts a lock on their potential right after high school. They face the prospect of living in the shadows as their parents do, fearing deportation to countries they do not know, yearning to educate themselves in a country that ignores their aspirations.
Seven Democrats voted "Nay". I'm not too surprised at this collection - perhaps they voted "nay" out of cowardice and fear of anti-immigrant ad campaigns. Well, regardless of the reason, here's your latest list of Democratic senators to fold under pressure:
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Byrd (D-WV), Nay
Conrad (D-ND), Nay
Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Landrieu (D-LA), Nay
McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
Pryor (D-AR), Nay
Tester (D-MT), Nay
On the other hand, 12 Republicans demonstrated a little decency and bucked their party to vote "yea":
Bennett (R-UT), Yea
Brownback (R-KS), Yea
Coleman (R-MN), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Craig (R-ID), Yea
Hagel (R-NE), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Lott (R-MS), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Martinez (R-FL), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Sadly, the Dream Act goes down to defeat once again.