DREAM Act

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, introduced in March 2009, will remove some of the barriers that undocumented children face in obtaining a college education. Previous versions of the bill were introduced in 2001, 2006, and 2007.

The bill benefits individuals who were brought into the country as children, too young to have had any control over the decision to enter the U.S. illegally. The bill will provide a six-year path to legal status starting after high school graduation for individuals brought to the United States more than five years prior to enactment of the law.

To qualify for a green card, an applicant would have to demonstrate good moral character and within the six-year period either graduate from community college, complete two years toward a four-year degree, or serve at least two years in the U.S. military.

Immigrants who came to the country as children and were raised here are extremely unlikely to leave the country that they know as their home. Rather than drive these people into the underground economy, the DREAM Act is a focused and practical way to ensure that they can fully contribute to American society by attaining an education or by serving in the military.