Critics Say Senate's Early Scheduling of Immigration Legislation is a Nightmarish DREAM

Signs are growing that Senate Republican leaders already have gone squishy soft on immigration legislation.

Just three days into the session, a bill that would give in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens was scheduled for a Judiciary Committee hearing on March 14.

This clone of the failed federal DREAM Act is sponsored by Sen. Gary Siplin. Its House mate, HB 55, is being carried by Reps. Dwight Bullard and Hazelle Rogers. All are Democrats.

Meantime, an E-Verify bill by Republican Sen. Alan Hays has yet to receive a Senate committee date.

"With rising college costs, and the fact that it is discriminatory and illegal to do so, it is outrageous that the [DREAM] bill has been filed, let alone scheduled for an early hearing, as if it is a priority," said Dave Caulkett, founder and vice president of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement.

Caulkett's group supports E-Verify legislation, which would require Florida employers to use the federal database to screen all job applicants to determine eligibility to work legally in this country.