Senate to Vote on Measure to Help Illegal Immigrant Students

WASHINGTON — A controversial measure that would allow young illegal immigrants to stay in the United States if they attend college or join the military will face a critical vote Wednesday.

Supporters need 60 votes for the legislation to move forward in the Senate, but appeared a few votes shy.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the measure's chief sponsor, said Tuesday that the vote tally was "somewhere in the mid-50s" and that Republican support was growing "by the minute."

The measure is known as the DREAM Act, which stands for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. It would allow thousands of young illegal immigrants to eventually attain permanent legal status and U.S. citizenship if they complete two years of college or serve honorably in the military for at least two years.

In an effort to gain support, Durbin included an age limit of 30 and dropped language that would have cleared the path for the students to receive in-state tuition.

The law would apply to illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years before the measure's enactment, have graduated from high school or obtained a GED, and have no criminal record.

Durbin said that many of the students arrived in the United States illegally as infants or small children, through no fault of their own, and have excelled in school under difficult circumstances.

"Some of their stories are heart-breaking," he said. "Many of them know no other country, speak no other language and now are being told to leave."

The measure faces fierce opposition from critics who say it is a disguised amnesty that will reward illegal behavior.

Numbers USA, a group that supports lower levels of immigration, is urging its members to call, e-mail and fax senators and ask them to vote "no."

The group says the DREAM Act is an "ill-conceived proposal" that would "grant amnesty to illegal aliens" already in the United States and draw "more illegal aliens here in the future."

The group is also keeping a list of "anti-amnesty champions" who are opposed to the bill.

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U.S. Senate: www.senate.gov