LOS ANGELES, July 11: The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved S. 1291, the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act,” which will give legal status to children of illegal immigrants who have done their high secondary schooling from the US.

The bill will now be debated at the Congress in September, before coming for formal approval by the Senate.

The legislation, if approved, would provide an opportunity to obtain legal status for young people with good moral character who have been in the US for five years or more and are at least 12 years old on the date of enactment in the school. To qualify for legal status under the DREAM Act, the students would also have to earn a high school degree, starting their schooling at least from the 7th grade and be under 21 years old on the date they apply to change their status for greencards.

This important legislation addresses the plight of children who were brought to the United States at a young age and denied the opportunity to succeed, Los Angeles-based lawyer Carl Shusterman told Dawn.

Each year, tens of thousands of undocumented students, many of whom have lived in the US for at least five years, graduate from US high schools. Most were brought here at a very young age by their parents.

Almost all of them speak fluent English and consider themselves Americans.