What is happening with the DREAM Act this year?

The DREAM Act is a piece of legislation that's been introduced in the House and Senate. And what the DREAM Act does is it says, for certain qualified youth who are here without authorization—immigrants, that they can apply over time after they've completed high school, two years of college, or served in the military, they can apply eventually for residency and citizenship in our country. It's a tough bill; it only applies to a certain number of immigrants who are already in the United States, and who have shown that they want to belong—who have finished high school, who want to go to college and finish two years of college, or complete military service for two years. It's a tough bill but we think it's a fair bill, and we think it's a smart bill for our nation, particularly these tough economic times where we want to maximize the potential of our youth, not hold people back.

What work are states doing on DREAM?

Interestingly enough, states are being very active on DREAM. Connecticut and Maryland passed their own version of the DREAM Act by saying that students who are graduating from high schools in those states can go to the colleges and universities in those states and receive in-state tuition rates. And they're not the first states to act that way. There are 13 states that have already enacted their versions of the DREAM Act, trying to do what they can for the youth that are finishing high school, who are American in all but a piece of paper, and maximizing their potential. It's an interesting issue because states like Utah, for example—Jon Huntsman, when he was governor, defended the DREAM Act; said that we can't cancel the American Dream for this youth. Texas has its own DREAM Act—Gov. Rick Perry, Republican as well, has said that we want to keep these young, bright Texans in Texas. Many other states—Kansas; Nebraska; as I mentioned, Maryland and Connecticut—are joining California, New York, all that are doing what they can to maximize the potential of the youth. That is our future and it's very smart of states to do this. Now we just need the feds to act and to do the same thing and pass a federal DREAM Act.

Is there any chance the federal government will pass the DREAM Act?

It's always hard to predict in Washington; no one has a crystal ball that's very accurate. Last year we saw that the House of Representatives did pass the DREAM Act. The Senate came very close with 55 votes; unfortunately, 60 are needed to be able to end debate and actually get a bill passed in the Senate. So we certainly came close last year. This year, it's harder to predict. The House is in Republican hands and there has been nothing but staunch opposition to the DREAM Act by Republicans who are pursuing only enforcement policies and don't seem to be interested in giving undocumented youth a chance to achieve their American Dream and make contributions. In the Senate, while it's in Democratic hands, it's still hard to see it getting to that magic "60" number that's needed in order to pass a bill. Still, there's an economic argument to be made for the DREAM Act that we hope that members of both parties will pay attention to. If we pass the DREAM Act, we will contribute $2 billion to reducing the deficit over the next 10 years. If we pass the DREAM Act, we're going to have young people who'll be able to work at Microsoft and not just McDonald's, and achieve their American Dream. They'll pay more in taxes; they'll be job creators. This is exactly what our country and our economy needs in these tough economic times.