Each year, approximately 2.8 million students graduate from a high school in the United States. They dream of going to college or the army to have the opportunity to do something with their life. However, every year, there is also a group of approximately 65,000 students who will not have this opportunity to advance their lives (CIR_DREAM paragraph 1). They cannot do so because they were brought to the United States illegally by their parents when they were children and have illegal immigrant status. Despite the fact that these individuals have lived their entire lives in the United States, this immigration status hinders their ability to obtain a higher education. While an immigrant may reside in the state for years, he or she is not permitted to receive college tuition in the state and must instead pay the higher tuition rates for out-of-state or international students. Due to the fact that they are illegal immigrants, most individuals from these families are unable to acquire jobs that pay more than minimum wage and cannot afford to go to college due to these high tuition rates. Some of these individuals were among the highest scoring students in their high schools and have the dedication and determination to achieve anything they set their minds to. This problem hinders their ability to achieve their goals. This issue affects me on a personal level because one of my very good friends is currently having this dilemma. He is a documented illegal immigrant who came to the United States on a visa. He spent half his life here, got excellent grades in high school and enrolled in college. However, due to the recent economic crises, his family cannot afford to stay in the United States, and my friend cannot stay in the United States alone because he cannot afford... half of paper... .. DREAM Portal Act | DREAM Act Portal. Network. 09 March 2010. .FAIR. “The “DREAM Act”: A Costly New Amnesty for Illegal Aliens.” The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):. Network. March 10, 2010. .Kobach, Kris W. "Senate Immigration Bill Rewards Violations of the Law: Why the DREAM Act is a Nightmare." The Heritage Foundation: Conservative policy research and analysis. Network. March 10, 2010. .Nick. "Basic information on the DREAM Act legislation | DREAM Act portal." Welcome to the DREAM Act | portal DREAM Act Portal. Network. 11 March 2010. United we dream. “Talking Points of the 2009 DREAM Act.” Scribd. Network. March 10. 2010. .