Connie Mack Hopes Senate Will Shoot Down DREAM Act

The DREAM Act passed the U.S. House with a close vote on Wednesday night: 216in favor and 198 against.

One of the votes against came from Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who weighed in after the vote.

Congress must focus first and foremost on protecting our nations borders, both North and South, said Mack who has his eye on taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. We need to boost interior enforcement by cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. And we need to ensure that law enforcement officials have the tools and resources they need to stem illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and other crimes along our borders.

What we shouldnt be doing, however, is passing legislation that gives individuals who are living in this country illegally the same benefits provided to U.S. citizens, added Mack. The Senate should scrap the DREAM Act and Congress should get to work on improving border security and enforcement.