Religious leaders keep the pressure on Cornyn, Hutchison to support DREAM Act

Religious groups advocating for the DREAM Act are ratcheting up the pressure on Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Both senators have said they'll vote 'no' on the bill should it come up in the Senate during the lame duck session, and thus far they've showed no signs of budging.

A group of Texas clergy held a conference call for reporters this afternoon, urging the senators to support the bill. The call comes on the heels of a multifaith prayer summit and demonstration in the Senate office buildings on Tuesday.

Rev. Mark Gonzales, a Dallas-based evangelical pastor and former advisor to Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, called the bill, which would create a path to citizenship for some individuals who are enrolled in college or in the military, a "moral imperative."

"This is more than a political issue. This is more than a partisan issue," Gonzales said. "This is something we believe is in the best interests of our country and our next generation of leaders."

But while he and the other faith leaders focused on making their case on moral grounds, Gonzales said there would be significant political repercussions for the senators should they decide to oppose the bill.

"[The 2010 election results in] Nevada, California, and Colorado speak directly to how important issue of immigration, and the DREAM Act that's affecting our children, is to Hispanic community, especially the Hispanic evangelical community," he said.

Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/religious-leaders-keep-the-pre.html

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