Dive Summary:
- President Obama is expected to lay out his plan for immigration reform Tuesday during a speech in Las Vegas, and higher education advocates expect the DREAM Act--legislation seeking to provide undocumented young people with a pathway to citizenship if they attend college or serve in the military--to play a role.
- A bipartisan group of senators is planning a simultaneous push for reform, and though previous attempts at passing the DREAM Act have failed, advocates like Michael Olivas, the director of the Institute of Higher Education Law & Governance at the University of Houston and an advocate for undocumented students, now believe it can be passed as part of comprehensive reform.
- The reform push is also expected to expand visas for highly skilled workers in STEM fields, an issue that had bipartisan support during the presidential election.
From the article:
After years on the back burner, immigration is set to command more of Congress's attention in the coming months, including several provisions important for higher education that are likely to be part of any proposed comprehensive legislation. Immigration was mentioned only infrequently during the election. But the drubbing Republicans took among Latino voters led to speculation that both parties might be open to overhauling immigration this year. ...