Democratic Senator Harry Reid today announced that he will introduce the "DREAM Act," which would allow for the legalization of undocumented students, as a stand-alone bill after Thanksgiving - with the intention of bringing the bill to a vote during the current special session of the upper chamber.
The DREAM Act proposes a path to legal status for thousands of young people who were brought to the United States illegally by their parents. The measure would allow for the legalization of undocumented students who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16, have been living in the country for at least 5 years, have no criminal record, have graduated from high school and are planning to attend college or serve in the military for a minimum of two years.
Senator Reid expressed that he hopes that Republicans will join the vote to pass this bill "since the election season is over" (referring to the November elections).
The DREAM Act was first introduced in Congress in 2001. Several attempts to pass the bill in the Senate have failed - the most recent attempt being in September of this year.
English 
Español