OMB Declares Support For DREAM Act

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget released the following statement suuporting the passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act:

The Administration strongly supports Senate passage of S. 3992, which would address the immigration status of certain individuals who came to the United States as children, know this Nation as their home, and, by their actions, are contributing to the prosperity and security of the United States.  The DREAM Act would provide conditional nonimmigrant status to individuals who:  (1) came to the United States before turning 16 years old; (2) have lived continuously in the United States for at least five years prior to the date of enactment; (3) were under the age of 30 on the date of enactment; (4) demonstrate good moral character; (5) are not inadmissible or deportable under a number of key grounds; and (6) have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED certificate, or have been admitted to an institution of higher education in the United States. 

Before these individuals could apply for permanent resident status in the United States, they would have to meet additional requirements – in particular, completion of at least two years of either college or military service.  The young people who would be eligible for relief under the DREAM Act are prime examples of the need for comprehensive immigration reform that is based on requiring accountability and responsibility from all – the government, employers, and those who have entered the country illegally.  The present system is broken and the Administration continues to call on the Congress to pass comprehensive reform.  While the broader immigration debate continues, the Administration urges the Senate to take this important step and pass the DREAM Act.  Young people who have spent much of their lives in the United States and want to improve their lives and their Nation by pursuing higher education or defending the United States as members of the Armed Forces should be given this opportunity to earn legal status.