'Nightly News' Correspondent Laments Tough Fight Over DREAM Act
Previewing yesterday's vote on the DREAM Act, which passed the House 216 to 198, NBC News correspondent George Lewis empathized with supporters of the measure on the December 8 "Nightly News."
Lewis acknowledged the bill's dim prospects for passing the Senate, but stood in awe at the apparent surge in support for the bill: "By the thousands, young people, who as children were brought here illegally by their parents, have been going public in support of the DREAM Act."
The network reporter used interviews with young supporters of the bill to pull on the viewer's heartstrings.
"It would be a waste if they graduated from high school and they're not able to pursue higher education because of their legal status," lamented William Perez, a developmental psychologist at Claremont Graduate University.
"We want to contribute back to a society, a society that has been my own," implored Maria Duque, an illegal immigrant attending Fullerton Community College.
Lewis did interview Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, but only after juxtaposing the strong conservative message against Duque's appeal for compassion:
DUQUE: So many dreams will be truncated, so many dreams and hopes of doing something for this country will not happen.
LEWIS: But Maria and her counterparts know that the DREAM Act faces tough opposition in Congress and from groups opposing immigration reform.
STEIN: To actually reward people who broke the law is nonsense, it's immoral, and it's wrong.
For good measure, Lewis concluded the segment by reiterating Duque's and Perez's position on the urgency of the moment: "A lot of young people with high hopes and no papers are keeping a close eye on the congressional debate because their future is riding on it."
NBC's puff-piece on the DREAM Act contrasts markedly, as MRC analyst Scott Whitlock reported, with the networks's critical coverage of the Arizona immigration bill.
A transcript of the segment can be found below:
NBC
Nightly News
December 8, 2010
7:08 P.M. EST
BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: Another piece of business, this lame duck Democratic Congress is trying to get done is passage of what's called the DREAM Act, giving a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants who go to college or the military. George Lewis is covering this story in Los Angeles tonight. George, good evening.
GEORGE LEWIS, NBC News correspondent: Good evening, Brian. The House of Representatives is debating the DREAM Act tonight and if it passes it heads on to the Senate, likely tomorrow, where it faces tougher sledding. This as immigrant rights groups are pressing for passage of the measure.
By the thousands, young people, who as children were brought here illegally by their parents, have been going public in support of the DREAM Act. That act would grant legal residency to undocumented high school grads who came to this country before they were 16 years old, have lived here for five years, and have no criminal records, if they attend college or serve in the military for two years.
WILLIAM PEREZ, Claremont Graduate University: It would be a waste if they graduated from high school and they're not able to pursue higher education because of their legal status.
LEWIS: He says only about 20 percent of undocumented students go to college now, but of those he studied, 70 percent become student leaders. They include Maria Duque, student body vice president and honor student at Fullerton Community College, whose parents brought her here from Ecuador at age five. she wants to get a law degree.
MARIA DUQUE, undocumented student: We want to contribute back to a society, a society that has been my own.
LEWIS: But Maria and her counterparts know that the DREAM Act faces tough opposition in Congress and from groups opposing immigration reform.
DAN STEIN, foundation for American Immigration Reform: To actually reward people who broke the law is nonsense, it's immoral, and it's wrong.
LEWIS: Wrong, they contend, because these students would be competing for jobs against American citizens.
DUQUE: So many dreams will be truncated, so many dreams and hopes of doing something for this country will not happen.
LEWIS: They say they're undocumented and unafraid, but they also know many Americans consider them unwanted. A lot of young people with high hopes and no papers are keeping a close eye on the congressional debate because their future is riding on it. Brian?
WILLIAMS: George Lewis in our LA bureau tonight. George, thanks.
--Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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Comments
Yep
Submitted by 10ksnooker on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:16pm.
Just stealing the jobs Americans used to have.
One day even Latinos will figure it out, their job is the first to go.
Yep, it's all about the taxpayers footing the bill
Submitted by MissM on Sat, 12/11/2010 - 1:10pm.
Yep has got to be a liberal blogger who just can't conceive that American convictions in immigration reform have more to do with their taxpaying pocket book than job protection or racism. The massive influx of illegal immigrants is part of the reason that California is careening toward bankruptcy, and the reason that healthcare costs in this state have skyrocketed. The state Legislature has for the last thirty five years closed down the ability of hospitals to recover the costs of treating illegal immigrants (who used to pay their own medical bills, until the Legislature required hosptials to treat for free in the 80's), freed K-12 and college educations, and clinic services. We're hemoraging public funds for free services, and wondering why the state can not meet it's basic obligations. The other problem is California courts which legislate taxpayer funded solutions for the incarcerated, and mandate a host of other tax-funded programs.
A newspaper in Texas exposed that 60,000 children are born in Texas hospitals every year to undocumented women. At Parkland Hospital in Dallas, 75% of infants born at the hosptial are to undocumented women. Have you, or will you see a similar story in any paper in California? On any TV station? No. How many infants are born to undocumented women in California? How many of the Hospitals in Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties are more than 50% of their natal deliveries to undocumented women? Just how big is the problem? If it was insignificant, there'd be a story about 'much ado about nothing.'
Yep, it's about the cost. And everyone in California can bury their head in the sand about it, because no one has the moral courage to tell the truth about how and what illegal immigration costs the taxpayers of California every year. Want to reopen public and school libraries? Cut some of the cost of supporting the undocumented masses. Want to reinstate programs for our elderly? Want to lower the costs of doing business in California? The charge of 'racism' is a way to intimidate good people from telling the truth about the popular mythology of job protectionism.
Actually what the Latino Community needs to figure out
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:17pm.
is that they are money and votes to the democrats nothing more. And that they are deluding themselves to think otherwise.
Everyone knows
Submitted by dirtydan64 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:44pm.
this Pipe Dream of the "Dream Act" can not pass the mustard until our Federal Gov't seals the borders from the left coast over to the right Coast and until that happens no form of Amnesty can ever become law. I'm sure Pelosi thought the Dream Act could become law, then sit on the border and watch the mass Exodus from Mexico of all the minors under the age of 18 yrs old cross over to Never Land and grab every Tax Dollar that is looming in Benefits where Democrats are eagerly awaiting to hand out as they all set foot on US Soil !!!
Remarkable the thought process of the Media to fix the Story line as it maybe framed, and the aurthor is right where he said it allowed these illegal immigrants to pull at Millions of Heart Strings and there's many who would fall for such ideals !!!
its time to start ridding our nation of this rabble
Submitted by igor1136 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 4:49pm.
its time they all be made to leave. just who are these people to demand anything of us? they need their asses kicked from here to the border and be told theyll be shot if the ever come back. go back to your home country and make demands of them. its not up to us to give you anything for your crimes but a bit of jail time. if our government wont do its job, its up to us to do it for them. its about time to march on dc and put the whole bunch up on charges of treason and corruption. im not about to let any commie lovin libtard take away my freedoms. they better get their takers ready then.
Common sense
Submitted by tampamom25 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:05pm.
What has happened to reason and common sense in this country? These are not citizens, they are ILLEGAL immigrants. Call them whatever else you want to, but they are here illegally. That means against the law. They have broken the law and should be sent home, not rewarded with education. The hypocritical Democrats don't really care about these people except that they represent gratitude votes that could keep Dems in power for years. How many laws are we willing to change? Let's start with speeding tickets. Those people are in a hurry to get somewhere important. Just change the law so that speeders with valid excuses get immunity. How about bank robbers? They could be allowed to keep what they steal if they can prove that they needed the money. They're only laws, so it's easy enough to change them, and sometimes changing laws is a good thing. But the point in this case is that you don't change laws just to make life easier for a certain set of people who have broken the laws. You enforce the laws, and that's what needs to happen with illegal immigrants. Send them home.
What about doing a segment on
Submitted by Barack_must_go..... on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:18pm.
What about doing a segment on the evening news about the white middle class kids in this country that cannot afford to go to college, even though their parents only brought them home from the local hospital, not into this country illegally in the middle of the night.
Then go on to show these same kids stuck in a life of menial jobs simply because they were unlucky enough to be born in California or Washington State were the bleeding ass liberal, corrupt government, including the ultra liberal judges tax the shit out of their non-minority parents and give that money, in the form of welfare programs to the minorities and illegals in a grotesque quid pro quo voting block arrangement.
The worst part of this whole America killing experiment in futility is the fact that the white population in this country is shrinking, at an alarming rate while minorities, especially Hispanics ( many the decendants of those who arrived here illegally ) are growing in leaps and bounds.
The governments dirty little secret regarding these up & down numbers of white versus minority births is because us white real Americans cannot afford to have 5,6,7 babies because we must pay for our own children to survive, go to college, etc. while at the very same time the government puts a gun to our heads and forces us to pay for each and every minority baby born into this country regardless of the mother & or fathers means.
They have as many as they want without a care or thought in the world of how they will support them. They know the socialist/ progressive ( bullshit ) welfare system welcomes them with open arms while We the People pay for them, up to and including that college are children must forgo.
So when some smart ass liberal reporter comes on TV to tell me what a racist, heartless bastard I am for not wishing to pay for this kid ( illegal alien ) to live a happy life, I do not feel guilty, I just look at the plight the real American families ( the ones no one ever shows on the evening news ) are living each and every day and know I am right.
Worst of all these same minorities, that We the People pay 20 to 40% of our income, in the form of one tax or another, still scream they want ( deserve ) more. At the same time they vilify us white folks, they taunt us about how they will soon be in charge and we'll be the minority. I say good, we'll see if they can get up off their asses and make their own way in the world ( pipe dream ). maybe even give a little something back to us real Americans for a frigging change.
Barack_Must_Go.....
You are so correct!
Submitted by MissM on Sat, 12/11/2010 - 1:14pm.
70% of the people in America can look down the block and know what you have written is true.
This is why the liberal MSM and liberal papers are declining. You've been feeding us this nonsense every day for the last thirty years, and we don't have to leave home to know the news is a liberal fable.
So important
Submitted by peteydee on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 7:39pm.
If this bill was so important,why didn't the Dems jump start 1/2009 with the Dream Act? They had the majority.riding on the wings of a newly elected President,instead they wait until there is now a Rep.majority,so when it fails.....Got the picture?
If they were minors...
Submitted by jimbo297 on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 12:44am.
...when they entered the US, then it stands to reason that they did not commit the crime of illegaly crossing our borders since they were not yet of age.
So I say: Let the kids go to school-just as soon as the parents are charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, along with a laundry list of other charges.
While I'm thinking of the criminal aspects of illegal immigration-if I made a bunch of money in my business and then transferred it out of the country in order to avoid paying taxes, wouldn't I be commmitting a crime? But isn't this what illegel aliens do every day? Wouldn't the banks involved be liable?
I should think that the college admissions process is going to be significantly disrupted if this gets passed. Are we going to start accepting the Mexican educational curriculum, since some of these kids invariably attended school in their home country. Or the Guatemalan curriculum, or Honduran. Does the DREAM act apply to everyone equally, regardless if the kid is from South America or not. It must apply to all foreign illegals, so we just gave the rest of the world another great reason to invade our borders:
I fail to see how this DREAM act was supposed to fit in with the talk of "comprehensive" immigration reform-seems like a small piece of the puzzle to me, hardly worth considering alone but part of a much bigger plan.
Imagine if Barry Milhouse Soetero had decided to laser focus on immigration last year, instead of blowing his wad on Obamacare? With all the new Democrats he would have generated, there's a good chancethat last November would have turned out veeeery differently.
Last night, the local Fox
Submitted by Martin2717 on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 2:00am.
Last night, the local Fox station here in Dallas interviewed an illegal immigrant asking him or her about his or her thoughts about this DREAM Act. Obviously, he/she supports it. Shame on the station for bringing this criminal on. The real question here is why didn't they call ICE to come get this person and his/her parents and have them deported? They're here ILLEGALLY and for the station to treat this like it's nothing is pathetic and disturbing. Whoever made this decision should be fired. Truly shameful.