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Dreams did not come true this year for supporters of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, as the 108th Congress’ lame duck session prepares to end.

This is a period after the official session of the congress has ended but bills can still be passed.

All bills that have currently not passed yet will have to be reintroduced next term, and begin the process of becoming a bill all over again.

Though the Dream Act, which would offer undocumented students the ability to apply for financial aid and loans, did not pass this term, students who have previously advocated the bill are still hopeful that it will pass in the future.

“I think it is going to take a couple of years for the bill to pass, now that we have a house majority that is Republican and a Senate that is Republican, and mostly conservative,” said Allan Salinas, a fourth-year political science student, who was undocumented up until two years ago when he received his green card.

The Dream Act would also allow students that have lived in the United States for at least five years to apply for legal residency.

Undocumented students currently must pay for their fees by their own means, as they are not eligible for university or government aid.

Opponents of the Dream Act argue that if passed, it would become easier for undocumented students to attend state schools, turning away legal residents from the school system, which could hurt the community.

Opponents also argue that the Dream Act would lead to providing amnesty for all illegal immigrants.

In 2001, California’s undocumented students were helped with the passage of Assembly Bill-540 by former Governor Gray Davis.

AB-540 allows undocumented students who meet specific qualifications to pay in-state fees for California public universities.

Before the passage of AB-540, undocumented students were forced to pay out-of-state tuition.

Salinas’ memories of being an undocumented student have made him an active member of the Coalition for Humane Rights of Los Angeles, and the Immigrants Right Coalition at UCLA.

“If you think about it, yes AB-540 makes tuition easier to pay, now (undocumented) students can get bachelors, but now that you have your B.A., you try to find a job, but you won’t find a job,” Salinas said, “You are going to get a construction job that doesn’t require papers. What’s the point of going to school for four years if you are going to end up doing what you would have done after high school?”

Salinas and CHIRLA are already looking toward the upcoming Congress term, to promote the Dream Act.

“We are going to take the 2004-2005 campaign to Washington D.C., and try to get more organizations involved in Los Angeles and California, and expand to more conservative areas,” said Horacio Arroyo, the youth peer organizer of Wise Up!, a group that is part of CHIRLA.

“We need to be able to communicate with one another, to come out stronger, and show that California is organized at its fullest capacity,” he added.

During this term, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) both co-sponsored the Dream Act, and plan to continue the same next session.

“I decided to co-sponsor the (Dream Act) of 2003 because there are instances in which youngsters may merit special consideration for immigration relief,” Feinstein wrote in an email.

“The Dream Act would benefit high achieving students who have demonstrated a desire to better themselves through education or service to our country,” she added.

Along with endorsement from both California senators, the Dream Act currently has 48 co-sponsors, of which 34 are Democrats and 14 are Republicans, Salinas said.

Cosponsors are still needed, and CHIRLA plans to do everything they can to encourage more to support the Dream Act.

“We will definitely continue visiting (senators) and have meetings about this in Washington D.C. and hopefully even talk about how to get other fellow Senators to support this as well,” Arroyo said, “We never want to lose Senators’ support, it is really crucial at this point.”

The fate of the Dream Act lies within Washington D.C., but from Salinas’ experiences, he argues that legislators might not even have all the answers.

“When I went to Washington D.C. and talked to members of Congress, I asked them their idea of what an American citizen is. No one could give me a straight answer. I asked if it is a person that votes, or is really involved in the community. Does that define them? Is there something else?” Salinas said, referring to when he visited Washington with CHIRLA to promote the Dream Act.

“I found it really interesting. ... Our legislators don’t even know what a definition of a citizen is,” he added.