The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act passed the Senate Judiciary Committee this week by a strong 16-3 margin, though the bill was somewhat weakened by an amendment. The bill next moves to the Senate floor.

The DREAM Act grants conditional permanent resident status to young people who have been in the United States for five years at the time of enactment, who entered before the age of 16, who have graduated from high school, and who are in good moral standing. In order for the conditional status to be lifted, the student must complete two years of college or serve for two years in the US Armed Forces before the end of a six-year grace period during which they are exempt from deportation. The bill also reverses parts of the 1996 immigration reform and restores states' ability to offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinsten (D-CA) introduced an amendment to the bill which strikes down a third option that would have allowed students to earn permanent status by performing 910 hours of volunteer community service. The amendment, which passed on an 18-1 vote, also makes DREAM Act beneficiaries ineligible for certain federal financial aid programs, including Pell Grants, and requires beneficiaries to register in SEVIS, a system that tracks foreign students.

The bill's sponsors say the DREAM Act helps young people who are in immigration limbo because their parents brought them into the U.S. while they were minors. As many as 65,000 illegal immigrants graduate from U.S. high schools every year, but many are unable to pursue higher education because of their status and the high costs of tuition. The individuals that would benefit from the bill are also unable to work, because they cannot obtain valid work authorization.

Opponents say the bill would encourage more illegal immigration and rewards those who break the law. Senator Orrin Hatch, one of the bill's sponsors, says the bill is targeted at students already in the U.S. who are trapped in a "Catch-22."