The Dream Act of 2017: Senate Bill Would Legalize 1.8 Million ‘Dreamers’

PHOTO: Getty Images/AFP/ FREDERIC J. BROWN

A bipartisan Senate proposal to give amnesty to people illegally brought to the U.S. as children would provide a path to legal permanent residence for at least 1.8 million illegal immigrants, according to an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin Of Illinois introduced the Dream Act of 2017 on Thursday, an updated version of a bill that Congress has tried, unsuccessfully, to pass going back to the early 2000s. The measure would allow recipients of former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — commonly known as “Dreamers” — to obtain green cards if they meet certain criteria.

According to the MPI projections, the Graham-Durbin proposal would make at least 1.8 million illegal immigrants eligible for conditional legal status. To get legal permanent residence, conditional applicants would have to either obtain an associate’s degree, serve in the military or maintain continuous employment for a minimum of three years. MPI estimates that about 1.5 million of those that receive conditional status would go on to obtain green cards.

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