House Passes DREAM Act/Senate Puts It On Hold

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Dec.9, 11:09am UPDATE: According to CNN, the Senate Democrats pulled the bill from consideration on Thursday. Supporters say that the bill could still come up, but as the current lame-duck session is drawing to a close in early January, it seems unlikely that the bill will have a strong chance of surviving.

Dec.8, 8:48pm: The House passed the DREAM Act on Wednesday, after a decade of trying, by a vote of 216-198. If the Senate passes the bill, the Act would give certain undocumented students a chance to become legal U.S. residents.

The DREAM Act would provide green cards and potential citizenship for college/military bound immigrants, but in order to qualify, beneficiaries must have come to the U.S. before age 16, be under age 30, lived in the country for at least five years, pass a criminal background test and have a high school diploma/GED equivalent.

According to Congressman Mike Honda (D-Calif.), one in 10 DREAM Act beneficiaries would be Asian American/Pacific Islander.

The Senate is expected to move to a vote on Thursday on whether to pass its version of the DREAM Act.

via All Voices and Politico