News & Notes: DREAM Act fails in Senate

Extensive lobbying by President Barack Obama proved insufficient for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. The DREAM Act would allow young immigrants who do not have legal status to become permanent residents after two years of college or military service.

Senators voted in favor of a procedural motion on the legislation 55-41 on Dec. 18, five votes short of the 60-vote hurdle. The Senate had previously tabled the legislation on Dec. 8 because the bill did not appear to have enough support for passage.  

Last spring, students formed the Princeton DREAM Team to advocate for a legal pathway to citizenship for students living in the country illegally. In April, a contingent of the DREAM Team joined 200,000 others when it traveled to Washington to march for the legislation. The group has since hosted several events on campus to raise awareness and lobbied members of Congress, including in the final days of of the legislative battle.

Obama has said he will continue to back the bill, along with a more comprehensive immigration reform package, but passage of any agreement on the hot-button issue seems unlikely in a Congress that swung to the right.