DREAM Act May be Headed for a Senate Vote this Weekend

17 Dec 2010

Majority Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on the DREAM Act Thursday evening, paving the way for a potential Senate vote on the immigration reform bill this Saturday. For the bill to pass, it will need the support of 60 Senators, something that will be quite challenging in the current Senate.

The DREAM Act, if approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama, would provide a path for permanent residency for the more than 800,000 young people who have been in the U.S. for 5 to 29 years. By staying in school or serving in the military, paying certain fees and keeping a clean criminal record for more than 10 years, these people would be able to apply for legal status and, eventually, citizenship.