WASHINGTON, Mar 26 - Today, members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate reintroduced the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act). This bipartisan legislation addresses the situation of the children of undocumented parents who were brought to the U.S. at an early age and have no path to legal status under existing immigration laws. The DREAM Act would provide conditional legal status and eventual citizenship to undocumented youth if they meet the following criteria:

1. attend college or enlist in the military
2. they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are below the age of 30
3. they have lived in the U.S. continuously for 5 years
4. they have graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED
5. the have good moral character with no criminal record

This is the not the first time that Congress has introduced the DREAM Act; It was considered, without much success, in 2003, 2005, 2006, and in 2007, as both a stand alone bill and as part of a larger comprehensive immigration reform package. However, this is the first time since it was first introduced in 2001 that the DREAM Act enjoys strong support by both House and Senate leadership, all of the relevant committee chairs, and President Barack Obama, who was one of the original sponsors of the legislation when he served in the Senate.

This legislation was introduced by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Lieberman (I- CT), Mel Martinez (R-FL), and Harry Reid (D-NV) in the Senate. Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), Joseph Cao (R-LA), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Devin Nunez (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) introduced it in the House of Representatives.

READ MORE ABOUT THE DREAM ACT

By MCHR Staff, 03/27/09