Last Week I wrote about how some states were pushing DREAM Act like measures through their legislatures. One of those states was Colorado. However yesterday, the dreams of undocumented students in The Centennial State were squashed thanks to Democrats in the state senate joining with Republicans to vote against the Immigrant Tuition Equity Bill.

Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said that granting students who are illegal immigrants in-state tuition was like saying “if their parents robbed a bank, their kids could keep the money.”

Though the bill would require students who get the in-state tuition rate to sign an affidavit stating they would seek legal residency, Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, said the affidavit “is worth probably less than the paper it’s printed on.”

In hopes of attracting more Democratic votes, proponents added an amendment that said the bill would only become effective upon passage of the federal DREAM Act. That measure being considered in Congress would provide a path to citizenship to illegal immigrants who serve in the military or attend college in the United States.

It wasn’t enough. Democratic Sens. Morgan Carroll of Aurora, Jim Isgar of Hesperus, Moe Keller of Wheat Ridge, Linda Newell of Littleton and Lois Tochtrop of Thornton voted against the bill.

Carroll, after the debate, referred reporters to a statement on her website that said she could not support the bill “in a climate where the state is cutting or eliminating over $1 billion of benefits to the people and is facing a $300 million cut to higher education, which virtually ends higher education as we know it in the state of Colorado.”

Isgar and Tochtrop made similar comments about cuts to colleges, while Keller declined comment on her vote.

Newell, who was elected in November by a razor-thin margin, simply said “I listened to my constituents” when asked about her vote.

Most important in this is centering the voices of DREAM activists like Colorado Dream Activist, Hans, and his message for all of us:

I just got back from the capitol. I’m feeling really crappy. After four hours of intense debate on the senate floor and witnessing some dim-witted senators spewing ill-informed arguments, the bill will now rest in peace. Unfortunately many smart, hard-working Colorado high school graduates will not. Because they will lose sleep worrying about their future and how impossible it is to continue their education to fulfill their dreams.
What pissed me off the most is that the bill was essentially defeated by two #bleep# democrats, who had been expressing support all along, but decided to all of the sudden stabbed us in the back by voting against it. When I heard that final gavel, there began one of the longest silent moments I’ve ever heard. I was waiting for the guy to say, “Wait I miscounted!”
But no. Afterwards, I tried to remain as zen-like as possible, but I couldn’t. I tried telling others and myself that this is not the end, this is only the beginning. That the Dream Act is on its way. “Lets organize like crazy to get that passed!” But in the immediate aftermath, I wouldn’t dare to boost my friends’ morales. They’ve given blood and tears to fight for this. They’re the ones whose families have just been grossly slandered by ill-informed senators. They’re the ones whose identities and whose very own existence were trampled on the dirt just a few minutes ago. We knew that this experience can only make us stronger, but at the moment grief needed sink in.
It’s worth mentioning that the sponsor for this bill, Senator Chris Romer, is a Saint. He’s a passionate supporter and he is fearless. It’s worth also mentioning the horrendous fact that no one, not one democratic supporter, acknowledged the economic contribution of undocumented immigrants. Sad. They all ultimately gave in to restrictionist threats and misinformation. And note, that the tuition equity bill had a POSITIVE fiscal note.
Today, Colorado senators succumbed to fear. But I, and many of my COLORADO-USA-lovin’-happen-to-be-undocumented friends DID NOT. We will never let fear and oppression define our future. We will continue to fight for the day when we can finally fully contribute to our communities, as U.S citizens. GO DREAM ACT!!!

Via / The Denver Post, United We DREAM Coalition