WASHINGTON -- Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said Wednesday that Democratic leaders in the Senate risk losing his support for upcoming defense policy legislation if they are successful in attaching an immigration measure to the bill.
"It would depend on a lot of factors, but it certainly would make it that much more difficult to support something such as the defense authorization bill," Nelson said during a conference call with reporters.
Nelson then offered a simpler warning: "Just don’t do it."
The immigration proposal in question, the DREAM Act, allows young people who attend college in the States or join the U.S. military to become legal U.S. residents. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday he wants to offer that legislation as an amendment to the defense policy bill.
Nelson said the DREAM Act should only be considered as part of a comprehensive immigration approach, and he said that can’t occur until the country secures its border with Mexico.
Nelson, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the defense legislation is too important to load up with such proposals and that doing so could lose the votes of additional senators.
"It shouldn’t be a bill that’s used for political purposes," Nelson said.
