While most eyes are focused on the HCR debate right now, there is another high-stakes legislative issue waiting in the wings. For those whose families and communities are impacted by the problematic immigration system, immigration reform is as crucial as anything else on the Democratic agenda.

But right now, immigrants and advocates are wondering whether immigration reform is even on the agenda of Democrats in Congress and the White House, notwithstanding Candidate Obama’s promise to make immigration reform a top priority during his first year in office.

That’s why I was happy to see the Inquirer’s editorial about the DREAM Act over the weekend.

Every year, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year. These students, after growing up in the United States and calling this country their home, are faced with unimaginable obstacles when it comes to continuing their education. Despite these obstacles, these undocumented students have decided to take matters into their own hands and fight for the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. These students are fighting for a piece of legislation called the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

Each year in the U.S., 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school with limited options for higher education or employment. Many undocumented youth were brought to this country as children, even infants, by their parents. They are indistinguishable in every way but one from their citizen friends, classmates, and siblings: they don’t have a piece of paper that says they can stay here.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) would change that. The Act would provide conditional legal status to applicants who: