US Immigration Blog

The Dream Act was defeated on a procedural vote in the U.S. Senate today.   The Dream Act would have allowed minor children who have no immigration status gain conditional residency if they proved they were brought to the United States by their parents as minors and if they met other requirements such as attending college or serving in the United States military.  Those opposing this bill, mainly Republicans in the Senate, viewed this as a form of amnesty– and the bill could not advance any further, a ten year record at attempting to pass this Bill or a version thereof.  This means that the United States Congress has not passed a single bill allowing those in the United States illegally to find relief in one form or another since President Bill Clinton left office in 2000 after extending 245(i) benefits- a ten year record.  It is unlikely that this issue will receive much attention in the next Congress.