The U.S. Senate fell four votes short of the 60 needed last week to proceed with a defense-authorization bill and to attach to it the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, better known as the DREAM Act.
If approved by Congress, the DREAM Act would provide a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants who met certain criteria and completed two years of college or military service. Undocumented students have staged demonstrations in support of the bill, and one group walked thousands of miles to draw attention to it. Opponents contend the bill is a form of amnesty for people who have broken U.S. laws.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pledged on the Senate floor to continue to try to get the measure passed.
“We’re going to vote on the DREAM Act. It’s only a question of when,” Sen. Reid said.
