Supporters failed to get the 60 Senate votes needed to force the DREAM act into legislation with a super-majority this weekend, essentially defeating the bill for at least several years. Proponents of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act secured only 55 votes.
Although the bill once had bipartisan support, Republicans have come to oppose the bill as the struggle over immigration policy has become a heated issue. Prominent Republicans who once backed the bill but ultimately voted against it include Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Orrin Hatch (UT) and John McCain (AZ). The incoming Republican-led House is unlikely to pass the bill after January first, and the Democrats in the Senate will have an even slimmer majority.
However, at the state level, undocumented students are gaining support from local governments. California ruled that undocumented students are eligible for in-state tuition if they graduated from a California high school, and a Nebraska court has upheld a similar policy.
Via Inside Higher Ed.


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