Progress Illinois

Immigrant advocates have pleaded with U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk to support the DREAM Act, a once-bipartisan bill that would give immigrant youth a path to earn citizenship via college or the military. The GOP U.S. Senate nominee, whose record on immigration issues isn't sterling, won't budge. In an interview with the AP, Kirk said the federal government should wait to take up this provision at least until it gains more control of the southern border. Apparently, increasing deportations and adding more guardsmen and drones at a time when illegal immigration has declined precipitously across the country isn't enough.

Undocumented students rallied at Roosevelt University yesterday afternoon in support of the Act, which U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has re-introduced. According to local college student Jorge, the law would let him and his sister "reach our dreams." Watch it:

Don't expect a vote on the Bush-era tax cuts before the November election. That's what U.S. Senate aides are telling multiple outlets in Washington. This is a blow for the Obama administration, which wanted to extend the tax cuts for everyone except those making over $250,000 annually before voters went to the polls.

The next tax vote will likely take place during the lame-duck session. That means either State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias or U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk -- who will appear on ballot for Illinois' special election -- will have a say in the debate. And their positions don't align. Kirk wants to see the tax relief extended to all Americans, even though it would blow a major hole in the national deficit. Giannoulias sides with Obama. This week, the Democrat even unveiled a new website --700billionreasons.com -- that lets users pick how they would spend the $700 billion that would land in the laps of the nation's wealthiest 2 percent over the next decade if Kirk gets his way.

Where do Illinois voters come down on this issue? SEIU (whose Illinois State Council sponsors this website) recently polled likely voters in seven battleground states, including Illinois. They found that 53 percent of respondents in the Land of Lincoln backed Giannoulias' option. Only 32 percent thought the tax cuts should remain in place for all income levels. (Another 9 percent, for what it's worth, thought they all should expire.) Read the full results here.

Dan Seals, the Democratic candidate running for the 10th District Congressional seat, has released a new ad that delves into the views, and tax paying practices, of his opponent, Robert Dold. The ad hits the GOP candidate on reproductive rights, Social Security, and fiscal responsiblity. Watch: