International Migrants Day - DREAM denied

Yes, it is today. According to a UN website,

On 4 December 2000, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December as International Migrants Day. On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly had adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

UN Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are invited to observe International Migrants Day through the dissemination of information on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants, and through the sharing of experiences and the design of actions to ensure their protection.

It would be fitting indeed if the Senate could manage to pass the DREAM Act today. I will update as the news comes in.

8:30 am, PST: On CSPAN, the Senate is voting on a cloture motion. Unless 60 Senators (most all the Democrats and a few Republicans) agree, the DREAM will die for this session, even though a majority supports it.

8:31 PST: The DREAM gets only 55 votes. It is over -- for now. DREAM deferred.

As is often the case, Adam Server has a sensible take on this:

DREAM has had a long life, and we'll see some version of it again in the future, because the problem won't go away. As long as illegal immigration remains a problem--a problem that can't be solved without shifting to a system that takes into account the realities of the labor market--we will have more undocumented immigrants. People will come here seeking a better life, and they will raise their children here who will, be American in almost every conceivable sense.

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!