DREAM Act Amnesty Re-Introduced by Sen. Durbin

Sen. DIck Durbin (D-Ill.) has re-introduced the DREAM Act Amnesty that would offer legal status for millions of illegal aliens. The DREAM Act passed through the House during last year’s lame-duck session, but was defeated during a procedural vote in the Senate.

Many of the changes made to the bill making it more attractive for passage last year have been eliminated. In order to qualify for the amnesty, illegal aliens must be no older than 35 and must sign an affidavit stating that they came to the country before the age of 15. Illegal aliens must also demonstrate that they have been in the United States continuously for the last five years, hold a high school diploma or GED, and have at least 2 years of military service or have attended a U.S. college or university for 2 years.

The DREAM Act provides an open-ended amnesty with no numerical limitations. While it includes a provision requiring that illegal aliens be of good moral character, individuals with up to 2 criminal offenses can qualify for the amnesty under the bill. The bill would also allow amnestied illegal aliens to eventually sponsor their family members for citizenship, creating more endless chains of family migration.

The bill currently has 34 co-sponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. No Republicans are listed as co-sponsors despite past bi-partisan support for the bill.

Click here to download the full text version of the bill.