Bethany Hill

Bryan Hernandez

Josh Herrington
The DREAM Act

http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/documents/dream-act-backgrounder.pdf

http://americasvoiceonline.org/research/background_briefing_the_dream_act/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/DREAM-Act-WhiteHouse-FactSheet.pdf

- provides legal status and educational opportunities to those who entered the US as minor children. - allow unauthorized immigrants of any age to obtain legal permanent residency if they have already completed college or military service before the enactment of the DREAM Act - people have been trying to pass the DREAM Act since 2001 - passed the full Senate in May 2006 as part of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, but CIRA did not pass. - included in the 2007 Kennedy-Kyl comprehensive immigration reform bill and attached to the FY2008 Department of Defense Authorization Bill; not passed in either case. - introduced as a stand-alone bill in fall of 2007, but did not pass - supported by US Catholic Bishops - represents fair and compassionate reform - offers unauthorized high school graduates the same chance at a promising future as their classmates.

1st Major Provision:
- creates a tiered system granting legal status to unauthorized aliens who arrived in the US before the age of 16
- in order to qualify: * must have entered the US before the age of 16, & not be 35 years old yet * be physically present in the US for a continuous period of at least five years preceding the date of enactment * must have earned a high-school diploma or equivalent to that or have been admitted to college * been a person of good moral character * have not committed certain crimes * not pose a danger to national security * never been under a final order of exclusion
2nd Major Provision:
- repeals current law that allows public universities to grant in-state tuition to unauthorized aliens without similarly having to offer in-state tuition to certain US citizens - encourage states to offer public financial assistance for higher education to