Dodd Tells Iowa Forum He Believes in Community Values |
|
|
For more information, contact: Germonique Jones 202-494-9876 For Immediate Release: Saturday, December 1, 2007 This afternoon, at the Heartland Presidential Forum: Community Values in Action, in Des Moines, Iowa, Senator Christopher Dodd was asked, "How should a nation that values community treat others who were born elsewhere, but are now woven into the fabric of America?" The question came from Tam Tran of Los Angeles, whose parents escaped from Vietnam after helping the Americans during the war. Dodd noted in his opening answer that he came to understand Community Values as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. A second, more pointed, question came from Veronica Dahlberg of Youngstown, Ohio, who described an anti-immigrant raid in her community in which a nursing mother was forced to hand over her baby to immigration agents, and six children were placed in foster care, she said, while the parents were jailed. Dodd said at the forum that he supported the Dream Act, which would give immigrant students access to college and a path to citizenship. When asked by Dahlberg if he would reject enforcement-only policies and pursue comprehensive immigration reform in the first 100 days of his administration, he said, "Absolutely." Dodd said that a "pathway" to citizenship that "requires certain things along the way" would be a priority for his administration. "It's going to take leadership to bring people together," Dodd said. ### |
|
