In 2001, the DREAM Act - a proposal designed to offer immigrants a path to residency in the United States - was introduced in the Senate. Even though the DREAM Act was revised several times and successfully passed by the House of Representatives in 2010, it was never successful in Congress. Michael A. Olivas, Interim President of the University of Houston and a legal scholar, offers a compelling review of how states have responded to providing opportunities for undocumented students in light of IRIRA and the lack of success of the DREAM Act. 

In June 2012, former President Barack Obama signed an executive order to implement Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, widely known as DACA. DACA is organized to allow individuals who came to this country as children with an opportunity to apply for temporary legal status in the United States. Individuals who are “DACAmented” are able to attend a postsecondary institution and have the right to work.