The Dream Act: Assessing its Effects on Immigration & Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The debate of immigration reform is about finding the most effective way to retain a legal means of entry, reorganizing the interests of millions of undocumented aliens living in the U.S., and to also ensure integrity of the U.S. borders. One piece of legislation entitled The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act was presented to the United States Senate in 2003 by Senator Richard R. Durbin (D-Illinois) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) as a proposed way of dealing with one aspect of the immigration issue. The DREAM Act would allow undocumented aliens who live in the United States the opportunity to gain citizenship by completing a college degree within six years or by serving two years of military service. In this paper, I take a holistic view of the potential consequences of the DREAM Act by looking at how it affects immigration in the United States, and our system of higher education.