Dream Act

American  

[dreem akt] / ˈdrim ˌækt /

Also DREAM Act

noun

Law.

1. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act: proposed legislation intended to provide a path to lawful permanent residency for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors, contingent upon their submission to background and medical checks and their fulfillment of educational requirements.

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Etymology

Origin of Dream Act

First recorded in 2000–05; backronym for D(evelopment,) R(elief, and) E(ducation for) A(lien) M(inors) Act

Example Sentences

Bipartisan proposals, such as the Dream Act and Dignity Act, would promote border security and a dignified process for long-term immigrants and Dreamers to achieve legal status.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Under a 2001 state law and the California Dream Act — Sara pays lower in-state tuition and receives state financial aid for college — she has been able to afford her education.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2025

The program’s first class includes more than 500 California Dream Act students, who came to the U.S. as undocumented immigrants but otherwise qualify for in-state tuition in California.

From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2022

Cedillo was more successful with the California Dream Act, which lets some students who are not U.S. citizens qualify for some financial aid and other scholarships.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 12, 2022

Shakespeare has burlesqued this idea in his exquisite buffoonery, Midsummer Night's Dream, Act v. sc.

From Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and the Seven Against Thebes by Buckley, Theodore Alois