Sens. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, will travel to the district of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to hold a forum for the DREAM Act. The event is in response to incendiary remarks made by King last week, when the conservative congressman suggested to Newsmax that many students who qualify for the DREAM Act are criminals. “For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds — and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert," King said. The comments were summarily and swiftly dismissed by House GOP leaders, but Democrats see this as an opportunity to paint bright lines between their positions and Republicans', especially as it remains unclear whether House Republicans will be able to move immigration legislation of any kind. The Senate last month approved a bipartisan, comprehensive overhaul bill. The event in Iowa could be the first of many that Democrats and backers of the legislation stage to drum up support for change. (more…)
