DNC Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs Statement on Mitt Romney’s Speech at NALEO: “Americans Will Remember Extreme Positions in November”

DNC Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs Juan Sepulveda released the following statement on Mitt Romney’s speech at NALEO today:

    “Mitt Romney is banking on the memory of the American people being very short. No matter what he says now, it won’t change the fact that Romney holds an extreme position on immigration and is on the wrong side of every issue that’s important to the Hispanic community. Mitt Romney may want to forget the promises he made during the far right Republican primary, but Americans won’t.

    “Romney called the DREAM Act a ‘handout’ and promised to veto it. Now he’s stayed silent for seven days, refusing to tell voters if he would repeal the Obama Administration’s new action that will make our nation’s immigration policy more fair and efficient. It would prevent young people who were brought to our great nation through no fault of their own as children from being deported—something we should all be able to get behind. So, we shouldn’t believe that anything for Romney has changed—even though now he’s just afraid to come out and say it.

    “President Obama knows that if Hispanic families succeed, our nation thrives. He’s fighting for us all and working to create an economy that is built to last. He’s worked hard to make college more affordable for Hispanic students, and because of his leadership, health care will be more affordable and accessible. President Obama’s record is clear—he’s fighting for the middle class and for a better future for our country for all Americans. Mitt Romney’s far-right positions and philosophy of Romney Economics are dangerous for nearly everyone: middle class families and those still trying to make it there, and Hispanics families working to achieve the American Dream.”

Romney Cannot Etch-A-Sketch His Extreme Immigration Positions

By DNC Press

Yesterday, Mitt Romney tried to shift attention away from his extreme immigration policies by misrepresenting President Obama’s record on immigration. In response, DNC Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs Juan Sepúlveda released the following statement:

    “Facing a huge deficit with Latino voters after spending his entire campaign aligning himself with the most anti-immigrant voices in his party, Mitt Romney is trying to distract voters from his extreme positions by misrepresenting President Obama’s record.

    “Taking his cues from one of the nation’s leading anti-immigrant voices, Mitt Romney has made it clear: On immigration, he would be the most extreme presidential nominee of our time. Mitt Romney has promised to veto the DREAM Act, encouraged all undocumented immigrants to self-deport, opposes comprehensive immigration reform and called the extreme Arizona immigration law a ‘model.’

    “Mitt Romney may try to Etch-a-Sketch his extreme positions on immigration, but he can’t shake off the extreme policies he has adopted – anti-immigrant policies that Latino voters won’t soon forget.”

DNC Statement on Mitt Romney Saying He Would Veto the DREAM Act If President

By DNC Press

After Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said today at a campaign stop in Iowa that he would veto the DREAM Act if it passed and he were president, the DNC's Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs, Juan Sepúlveda, released the following statement:

“If there had been doubt in anyone’s mind—least of all, Hispanics in America, that Mitt Romney’s far-right views on immigration would make him the most extreme presidential nominee in recent memory, his statement today that he would veto the DREAM Act if he were president is appalling.  This piece of legislation has been supported by members of both parties.  It is something that Americans can get behind, and it is in line with the spirit of inclusion and diversity of our country that has made our nation great.  But Mitt Romney has shown once again that he is out of touch and far to the right of even members of his own party, and that he would not represent the best interest of middle class Americans, those still trying to reach the middle class, and Hispanics in the country.  This is in direct contrast to President Obama who strongly supports opening the American Dream for hard-working, patriotic young people who are leaders in their communities today and who are looking for an opportunity to attend college or serve our country in the military, but who can't, through no fault of their own."

How the DREAM Act Would Bolster Our Homeland Security

By Janet Napolitano

Ed. Note: This is the fourth in a series of posts from top Administration Officials on the importance of the DREAM Act.

Over the past several weeks, the President and my fellow Cabinet members have talked about a number of important reasons to support the DREAM Act. Today, I’d like to speak to the important role the DREAM Act would have in promoting public safety though smart and effective immigration enforcement.

By providing a firm, but fair, means for individuals who were brought to the United States as children to adjust their status, the DREAM Act would bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to focus our limited enforcement resources on detaining and removing criminal aliens and those who pose a threat to our national security and public safety.

Under this Administration, the Department of Homeland Security has deported a record number of illegal aliens convicted of criminal offenses, including 195,000 in fiscal year 2010 – a 70 percent increase in criminal removals compared to 2008. Passage of the DREAM Act would further enhance these efforts.

To be clear, no one who poses a threat to public safety will be able to adjust their status under the DREAM Act. The bill ensures applicants will undergo a rigorous background check, and individuals who committed offenses that are grounds for removal will be barred from relief. It is a narrowly-tailored, bipartisan bill that would allow a select group of immigrant students with great potential to contribute more fully to America. 

Our priority of removing criminal illegal aliens – which the DREAM Act would further enhance – is only one part of this Administration’s broader strategy to secure the border and enforce our nation’s immigration laws. We have more personnel, technology, and infrastructure at the border than ever before, including record numbers of Border Patrol agents and 1,200 National Guard personnel whom the President has authorized to assist at the border. As of this year, we have drone flights covering the southwest border from El Centro, CA to Brownsville, TX, and have more border fencing than at any previous point in history.

The DREAM Act is not a substitute for comprehensive immigration reform.  While the broader immigration debate continues, however, I urge the Congress to pass the DREAM Act and allow those who arrived in this country as children and who want to go to college or serve in our military to adjust their immigration status.  By passing the DREAM Act, Congress can help DHS continue to enhance our immigration enforcement efforts in the way that makes the most sense for our public safety and national security. The U.S. House of Representatives has already acted in a bipartisan manner on this legislation, voting last week to pass the DREAM Act. And soon, the Senate will have the same opportunity to enact the measure. I urge the Senate to do what’s good for our nation’s security, pass the DREAM Act.

Janet Napolitano is Secretary of Homeland Security

DREAM Act Gives Hard-Working, Patriotic Young People a Shot at the American Dream

By Secretary Arne Duncan

Ed. Note: This is the first in a series of posts from top Administration Officials on the importance of the DREAM Act.

Now is the time to press on with our full support for the DREAM Act.  We’re closer than we’ve ever been and we’re not giving up.

The President, myself, and many of my Cabinet colleagues have held conference calls, talked to the press, and written op-eds and letters of support.  We will keep doing whatever it takes to make this happen for thousands of hard-working, patriotic young people who are leaders in their communities and who are looking for an opportunity to attend college or serve our country in the military, but who can’t, through no fault of their own.  The Senate has the chance to offer them and our nation a brighter future by coming together in a bipartisan way to pass the DREAM Act.

Wednesday night, the House of Representatives took an historic and courageous step forward by passing their version of the DREAM Act.  Eight Republicans joined Democrats to rise above the heated political rhetoric and embrace this common-sense approach.  Yesterday, the Senate leadership decided to table their version of the DREAM Act and take up the House approved bill.  It was the right thing to do.  This wasn’t the end of the DREAM Act.  It was a lifeline — another chance to build on the tremendous momentum coming out of the House.

In the coming days, the Senate will have the opportunity to open the door to the American Dream of college for these bright, talented youth, unleashing the full potential of young people who live out values that all Americans cherish—a strong work ethic, service to others, and a deep loyalty to our country.  The result will be a new generation of college graduates who will help strengthen our economic security and a new set of future taxpayers who will contribute much more as college graduates than they ever would as struggling workers moving from one under-the-table job to another.  They will help build the economy of the 21st century.

The students of the DREAM Act are some of the country’s best and brightest.  They were raised and educated in America.  They are valedictorians, star athletes, community leaders, and are active in their faith.  They text and go to the mall.  They are Americans in every sense of the word.  They have deep roots here and are loyal to the country that has been the only home they’ve known.  They are our future pediatricians, teachers, and engineers — if we give them a chance.  They are exactly the type of young people America should be embracing.

But, unlike their classmates, DREAM Act students are in a bind.  It goes against the basic American sense of fairness to punish children for the choices of their parents.  But thousands of young people find themselves in that position.  We can’t let them continue to live unfulfilled lives of fear and squandered hopes.  We need to act before we lose this generation.  It’s who we are as Americans, at our best.  The time is now.

Arne Duncan is Secretary of Education