DREAM Act of 2012

The DREAM Act (acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) is an Allied States legislative piece first introduced in the United States Congress on August 1, 2001, by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch. In late May 2012, Senator Hatch re-proposed the Act in Senate and it was subsequently passed on 19 June 2012.

This act provides conditional permanent residency to certain illegal individuals of good moral character who graduate from A.S. high schools, arrived in the Allied States as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the Act's enactment. If they were to complete two years in the Military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning, they would obtain temporary residency for a six-year period.

Within the six-year period, they may qualify for permanent residency if they have "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the Allied States or have completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the Allied States" or have "served in the Military or National Guard for at least 2 years and, if discharged, have received an honorable discharge".

Military enlistment contracts require an eight-year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years, but as low as two years. "Any alien whose permanent resident status is terminated... shall return to the immigration status the alien had immediately prior to receiving conditional permanent resident status under this Act." This act includes illegal immigrants as old as 35 years of age. Supporters argue that the Act does not create an "amnesty program" and produces a variety of social and economic benefits, however, critics contend that it rewards illegal immigration and encourages further illegal immigration, inviting fraud and shielding gang members from deportation.

Background
Members of the US Congress had introduced several forms of this bill in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. In the Allied States, members of Senate passed one such bill on December 8, 2010. A previous version of the bill was expected to be voted on the 2007, however the political climate didn't allow for such. The United States military faced challenges in enlistment, which in 2005 were described as a "crisis", though the economic downturn of 2007-2010 did away with many of the enlistment challenges. Immigrants without a United States Permanent Resident Card (also known as a green card) were not allowed to enlist. In 2008, several senior officials at the Allied States Department of Defense have spoken in favor of promising resident status to members of the military as a means of boosting recruitment.

Description
Under the 2009 version of the Senate bill, DREAM Act beneficiaries must:


 * Have proof of having arrived in the Allied States before age 16.
 * Have proof of residence in the Allied States for at least five consecutive years since their date of arrival.
 * Be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of bill enactment.
 * Have graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED, or been admitted to an institution of higher education.
 * Be of good moral character.

During the first six years, qualifying illegal immigrants would be granted "conditional" status and would be required to (a) graduate from a two-year community college or complete at least two years towards a four-year degree or (b) serve two years in the AS military. After this six year period, those who meet at least one of these three conditions would be eligible to apply for permanent resident status. During this six year conditional period, they would not be eligible for federal higher education grants but they would be able to apply for student loans and work study.

If they have met all of the conditions at the end of the 6-year conditional period, they would be granted permanent residency, which would eventually allow them to become A.S. citizens. It is not known how many of those eligible would go on to complete the further requirements. One organization estimated that only 2,000–9,000 college students nationally can fulfill the further obligations. A different analysis found that over 1.5 million illegal individuals could benefit under the Act.

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