The recent failure of a piece of immigration law in Congress will have an impact on teens and young adults throughout the country, including places in the Midwest like Ohio and Michigan.
Last Saturday the United States Senate voted down legislation which would have given some illegal immigrants the opportunity to gain legal status.
The DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act would have allowed immigrants brought to the U.S. as children the opportunity to earn legal status provided they attend college or serve in the military. Under the legislation, illegal immigrants under the age of 30 who came to the U.S. before they were 16 and have been in the country at least five years would be eligible. They could receive a green card after ten years of residency, provided they spent two years in college or the military.
The measure needed 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster and be eligible for a simple majority vote. It fell short by a 55-41 margin, with five Democrats voting with their GOP peers.
Supporters of the DREAM Act believed it provides an opportunity for approximately a million people, most of whom came to the country with their parents, to give back to the country. Opponents have worried it would lead to a flood of illegal immigrants entering the country.
Its failure over the weekend means it could at least two years before another opportunity arises for such a comprehensive measure to get through Congress. With the new Congress taking over in January, Republicans will have greater control and will be far less likely to pass such a measure.
President Barack Obama called the vote "incredibly disappointing," saying "a minority of Senators prevented the Senate from doing what most Americans understand is best for the country."
