S. 774 would amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to permit States to determine State residency for higher education purposes and to authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children.
Detailed Summary
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 or the DREAM Act of 2007 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence.
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her sixteenth birthday, and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; and (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal.
Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status, including: (1) termination of status for violation of this Act; and (2) removal of conditional status to permanent status.
Authorizes an alien who has satisfied the appropriate requirements prior to enactment of this Act to petition the Secretary for conditional permanent resident status.
Provides for: (1) exclusive jurisdiction; (2) penalties for false application statements; (3) confidentiality; (4) fee prohibitions; (5) higher education assistance; and (6) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 3/6/2007: Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
Michael
June 12, 2007, 4:39pm (report abuse)I dont know how you can not support this bill. Wah wah...our taxes blah blah taking away spots. What is this cold heartedness? I am completely against illegal immigration, but I am not against letting kids who had their life ruin by the mistakes of thier parents have a chance.
Bill
June 12, 2007, 4:39pm (report abuse)To those who complain about this bill, you should know that almost half of the people who go to college drop out, so if a couple of those people are replaced does it really matter? It not hurting you kids chances. And if it was for some reason tell your kids to work harder. They are to be the best and brightest and to say that these kids are taking away their chance means your kids are slacking.
Martha
June 12, 2007, 4:40pm (report abuse)Taxes...you think a couple of dollar increase is going to hurt you that much. You would rather watch peoples lives be ruin just so you can save an extra bucks?...I will end it there.
Jeff
June 12, 2007, 4:41pm (report abuse)It not about being illegal or not, it about letting these kids have a future that was ruined by their parents. Just before you go against this, put yourself in this situation. If you can still say that you wouldnt support this bill after that...I can't say anything.
Ruben
June 12, 2007, 9:41pm (report abuse)Are you people kidding? Training foreign nationals, ENCOURAGING even more to ILLEGALLY come across the border, pick up a weapon, and kill to serve our military interests?
Our own military encouraging an illegal FOREIGN invasion? Hey sheeple! In case you domesticated types don't get it, let me be plain - this is the essence of TREASON!
ALL of our top political and military leaders need to rounded up. This is authorized by the Consitution. You remember the Constitution, don't you?
Gregory
June 26, 2007, 11:15am (report abuse)You think this is about the money? If you don't think that illegal aliens are not hurting the USA take a good look at King Medical Hospital in California. Tell me that millions of illegal aliens (who are not paying for health care) don't have an effect.
Ruben got it right. This only encourages more ILLEGALITY. If you really want to state the obvious, less than 2% of children of illegal aliens go to college because they are looking for a quick buck. They are not looking for longterm greater good of America or its citizens. The greater impact is how many more future law breakers will be moving into your neighborhood. How many more students will be in class with your children taking up valuable class time from your kids.
Why is it our responsibility to make up for parent's mistakes? Why not just put their kids all in boarding school??
Hay, wake up. Is your freedom really for sale for "a couple dollar increase"??
Sarah
June 27, 2007, 5:20pm (report abuse)What bothers me is that my children are required to pay out of state tuition where they are in school but if I entered this country illegally, my kids would get a break. Where's the logic?
George
July 17, 2007, 3:47pm (report abuse)I personally know a girl(20 years old), who's parents brought her to the U.S. at the age of five. As for many kids, grade school was not taken seriously. In high school she told me she would make straight A's. She did and now she is performing outstanding in college, not only academically, but in social programs. She wants to teach in a grade school. She only knows our wonderful american society. But having no choice as a child, she faces the reality of not having a "country" to go without the Dream Act. What is the right thing to do?
dreamer
August 7, 2007, 3:45pm (report abuse)Please help pass the dream act...please please please...
Brian
August 7, 2007, 5:22pm (report abuse)Martha, you must earn a lot more than I do because to me, a "couple of dollar increase" might mean the difference between a roof over my head, and a cardboard box in an alley. To some of us every dollar counts, remember that before you make any more ignorant, bleeding heart liberal comments!!
truth
August 16, 2007, 6:34am (report abuse)there are so many people with millions of dollars on their hands. i wonder if they care about some few dollars -.-
immigrants taking jobs away? hahaha, i believe that it doesn’t matter who takes the job. only matter of "what kind of person" taking the job. i bet Hitler would’ve been praised if he helped poor with his power instead of killing.
more illegally? isn’t America made by immigrants? treason? haha, if u cant trust other country, then how can you expect other country to trust America and not hate the America?
truth
August 16, 2007, 6:35am (report abuse)here is my friend's story, real one of course: he is devoted Christian who came from poor family. he came to the united states 7 years ago when he was 12 years old. when they came, his parents trust one person who said he can get them the citizenship when my friend paid. he got scammed of course...but he didnt mind. it was his parents mistake, he just said he will do best to get scholarship. he ended of getting 4.1/4.0 in 4 years of high school, perfect attendance, did over five clubs, NHS, even went to national competition in gymnastics! guess how much he got for his scholarship? 0 dollars!
currently attending community college and hoping for the new law to pass...he did nothing wrong, he just wanted to study so that later on his life, he can repay his debt to those who helped him. also, he wanted to help the poor because he knows how they feel.
James
September 12, 2007, 8:19pm (report abuse)We get more troops, more taxpayers, and fewer people on welfare since they have to be college grads or serve in the military. This seems like a win-win for everyone.
Brittany
September 13, 2007, 5:05pm (report abuse)The system in this country is SO flawed that as a U.S. CITIZEN I can NOT fix my husband's status. Even hardship waivers are next to impossible to file and NO respect is given to family unity anymore. The Dream Act does NOT hurt any American families. The flawed immigration system hurts MY family.
Lebi
September 13, 2007, 6:28pm (report abuse)PASS THE DREAM ACT NOW! . . . Enough said. No matter what else i say you wont change your mind. Truth is. YOU DON'T KNOW UNLESS YOU EXPERIENCE.
TopAssistant
September 14, 2007, 5:53am (report abuse)To educate one child in the Wake County (NC) Public Schools it is approximately $8,900 per year. Our schools are overloaded and we must build more due to illegal aliens. Show me ONE illegal alien family that pays this amount in federal, state and local taxes? Who then pays the difference? We do. Multiply this number by the number of illegal alien kids or anchor babies that will soon be show as just another illegal alien.
Congress (both Democrat and Republican) and all presidents for decades have been breaking this country financially. We are up to debt past our eyeballs.
Our federal debt is $8.3 TRILLION DOLLARS! Communist Red China owns $560 BILLION dollars of our IOUs and still has $1.3 TRILLION dollars, cash, in the bank. They are building their first navy in over 500 years and they
Jamie
September 16, 2007, 8:38pm (report abuse)A RAND study in '99 showed that legalizing the people covered by this act yields a $9000 per person annual benefit to this country as opposed to the $3000 cost that illegals do now. Based on that I say this piece of legislation is certainly worthwhile and should absolutely be passed.
Brian
September 20, 2007, 8:07pm (report abuse)Someone please explain to me why illegal immigration should be encouraged, I cannot for the life of me understand why there is so much blind support from so many Americans for skirting our immigration laws and ignoring an honest and honorable path to citizenship! Will those of you on the far left please explain to me what is so inherently wrong with LEGAL immigration?!
Joan
September 21, 2007, 2:46am (report abuse)REading the comments of most here who say let them all come in..only costs a couple extra dollars - no hardship for us. Looks like these citizens need educated on the real losers - it's the middle class who will pay the higher taxes and stuggle on their salaries to put their children through school and save something for their retirement years. Ignorance of the long term effects of millions of aliens who don't bother to learn our language, keep our laws, and demand the rights of citizenship is rampant here. In the long or short run, America will cease to be what our forebears worked and struggled to make it. Any nation will crumble without borders and enforceable laws. No way are US citizens responsible for the mistakes made by parents who came here by breaking our laws.
Jamie
September 23, 2007, 12:09pm (report abuse)Joan, your argument is completely wrong. Because of this act the middle class pays LESS taxes because we'd be getting more taxpayers. Every one of those people CONTRIBUTE an average of $9000 a year according to a RAND study.
I don't know where these misconceptions are coming from but this act doesn't cost any of us a dime because the DHS budget already funds the processing of these applications. Economically speaking this is an absolute no brainer. I just wish this country's ridiculous current immigration system was more like this Act. And BTW, these people already speak English, they grew up here, that's the whole point. We're not talking here about those flag waving illegals that march on our streets, we're talking about kids that have been here longer than most of the green card holders and many citizens.
ErikaDreamerPART3
September 23, 2007, 12:51pm (report abuse)I'm not the only one in this situation, there are some that are even brighter than me... valedictorians, top ten students, etc. But we all face the same obstacle.
PLEASE let us persue our dreams.
Call your senators and urge them to vote YES on the Dream Act. This isn't about race, this is about the Real American Dream.
Thank you.
ErikaDreamerPART2
September 23, 2007, 12:52pm (report abuse)I would be one of the thousands to benefit from this.
During my whole High School career, I made the best grades, I went from a remedial English class to an Advanced Placement class in those four years... I took the AP test and passed, thus gaining college credit.
I obatained close to 40 hours in college credit from High School, but my path was abrubtly cut when I graduated from H.S.
It's been two years since I left HS, and I can't even enroll in a Comunity College paying out of state tuition.
ErikaDreamerPART1
September 23, 2007, 12:54pm (report abuse)The Dream Act will provide the U.S. with a vast quantity of qualified professionals and many more that would be willing to serve in the military.
The Dream Act would only benefit those who trully have the drive to persue their dreams.
ErikaDreamer
September 23, 2007, 1:22pm (report abuse)Sarah, just so you know, the Dream Act does NOT provide In State tuition.
A recent change erased that part and set an age limit of 30 years old.
CitizenAsh
September 29, 2007, 11:59pm (report abuse)Brian, the U.S. immigration system is deeply flawed. There are two major ways to come to this country legally, marriage or work. Both ways have severe visa backlogs stretching back several years. Ask yourself, as a husband would you be willing to stay apart from your wife for 10+ years because the govt can't get its act together. The deep backlogs and the inability of the govt. to streamline the process is a significant contributor to illegal immigration.
I encourage you to immigrate to another country and see how the process works before you judge these children who are here due to no fault of their own.
And if we start punishing children for the sins of their parents, then we've taken a giant step back from a moral and Christian nation.
James
October 12, 2007, 9:38am (report abuse)Readers beware! Some of the comments here demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of the provisions of this bill.
I invite you to read it for yourself and not judge it based on comments from some discriminatory nativist propaganda campaign.
I'm sure that once you become familiar with what this bill aims to do you will be convinced that it is in line with the principles of this country and that it will benefit both taxpayers and America in general for many years to come.
Wayne
March 20, 2008, 12:31am (report abuse)Where was this free college education when I could have used it. Where is this free medical that millions of TAX payers could use.