Michael Brochstein | LightRocket | Getty Images
United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) at a press conference about the proposed Central American Reform And Enforcement Act in the US Capitol.
After that bill’s failure in 2007, the DREAM Act — which would have given legal status to and opened a path to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children — was introduced in the Senate as stand-alone legislation. The measure championed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also fell short.
Efforts to pass immigration reform or protect young undocumented immigrants fared no better during the Obama administration.
In 2010, a House overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats passed the DREAM Act — Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. The bill failed to overcome a filibuster in the Democratic-controlled Senate that December.
After years of gridlock, then-President Barack Obama took matters into his own hands in June 2012. Under an executive action, his administration allowed the young immigrants to stay in the country and temporarily go to school or work while protected from deportation. He described it as a “stopgap” until Congress could pass legislation.
“Now, let’s be clear. This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix,” Obama said at the time. “This is a temporary, stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people. … It is the right thing to do.”