The long-debated DREAM Act to help undocumented students failed in a U.S. Senate vote Wednesday, likely ending prospects for the enactment of the measure this year.
The Senate fell eight votes short of a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes needed to approve the bill, which would create a path to legal status largely through education. Earlier this fall, sponsors had tried unsuccessfully to attach it to other legislation moving through the Senate chamber.
While the final vote was 52-44 for the bill, senators earlier had invoked rules requiring a 60-vote majority in the chamber.
“We were surprised but not shocked,” said Gabriel Pendas, president of the United States Student Association, which strongly supported the bill.
Formally known as The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, the bill would offer a road to permanent legal status to youth who came to the United States at age 15 or younger. They would have to earn a high school diploma, pass a criminal background check and attend college or serve in the military for at least two years. They also must reside in the United States for at least five years before seeking such status.
At various stages during the past year, the legislation also has included provisions that would make it easier for these undocumented students to receive in-state tuition at public colleges.
Undocumented students “are in limbo,” Pendas told Diverse after the vote. “This issue wasn’t about immigration. It was about access to education.”
