At the request of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chancellor Joel E. Anderson submitted written testimony in support of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2011 to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security for the first-ever Senate hearing of the DREAM Act bill.
The DREAM Act, originally introduced in the Senate in 2001 by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Durbin, provides a conditional path to citizenship for youth whose parents are undocumented residents. The bill requires students to serve in the military or to attend and graduate from a U.S. college or university as one of the conditions of being offered citizenship. In turn, the bill also allows these students to be eligible for financial aid, as well as pay in-state tuition, where applicable, thereby allowing access to higher education for more students.
Although it has received support and backing from leaders in academia and legislators on both sides of the aisle, the DREAM Act has not yet been passed.
