The DREAM Act is Back! (Maybe)

Senator Harry Reid has announced via his blog that he will add the DREAM Act a military spending bill later next week.  In a statement, Senator Reid acknowledged that passage of comprehensive immigration reform is unlikely but that passage of the DREAM Act may gain traction in the House

“I know we can’t do comprehensive immigration reform,” Reid said at a news conference. “But those Republicans we had in the last Congress have left us.”

The previous versions of the DREAM Act and American Dream Act would make certain undocumented students eligible for a six-year conditional permanent resident status upon high school graduation. These students could then apply to have the conditional basis of their permanent residence status lifted after completing at least two years of higher education or serving for at least two years in the US military.

The bills would also repeal section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRAIRA), which requires states that provide the in-state tuition rate to undocumented students to provide the same tuition rate to out-of-state residents.

In the newest version to be proposed by Senator Reid, there are slight changes.

We are also offering an amendment to pass the DREAM Act. This amendment will ensure that millions of children who grow up as Americans will be able to get the education they need to contribute to our economy. Students who come to America before age 16 and who have been here for five years should be able get their green card after they go to college or serve in the military. And many who have volunteered to defend our country can finally become citizens of it.