Being an undocumented student in the United States means being literally cursed for being born outside the country because you will find virtually all doors to the American dream closed. Apparently working hard, graduating from high school, living here most of your life, and a desire to become someone successful and contribute to this country is not enough in the eyes of opponents of the Dream Act to qualify for neutralization. All aspirations and hopes for a better future vanish when one discovers that it is impossible to attend college or find a job because proof of citizenship is required. All AB 540 students experience this situation and the Dream Act is the solution to stop this suffering. The Dream Act is a bill first introduced in the Senate in 2001 and has been re-introduced several times but has not been successful. This bill would provide AB 540 students with conditional permanent residency, allow them to qualify for certain federal and state financial assistance, and, after meeting certain stringent requirements, they would soon be able to apply for citizenship. The Dream Act should be passed not only to be fair to AB 540 students, but to benefit our economy, baby boomers, and the future of the United States. The Dream Act establishes a rigorous process for AB 540 students and they must meet several rigorous requirements. This means that not all undocumented students would be eligible; only the lucky, brightest and most ambitious would qualify. Typically “they must demonstrate that they arrived in the United States before the age of 16, that they have lived here for at least five years, that they have no criminal record, that they cannot be removed from the country, and that they possess good moral character” (Duncan A . 19"). These students must...... middle of paper ......oto, Lourdes Diaz. "IMMIGRATION TO THE USA" The Praeger Handbook of Latino Education in the US Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007. Creed Reference Web. 16 September 2014. “Standing Up for Immigrant Students.” Rethinking Schools Vol. 18, no. 2. Winter 2003: SIRS Issues Researcher Web Conference. Allan Hancock College Room C-35, Santa Maria Ca. 3 November 2014 . Conference. "The DREAM Act Web" November 8, 2014. "Immigration Reform." , “Social Security and the Baby Boomers.” Immigration on the Battlefield, 2009. 267-273, 784-785 eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) September 30. 2014.