The DREAM Act took central stage in Denver this week when members of the Campaign for an American Dream (CAD) took over the Obama for America campaign headquarters to force the President to sign an executive order enacting the DREAM Act. The Obama campaign supports their cause but the only permanent solution is for Congress to pass the act.

If passed, the DREAM Act would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to enroll in college or the military and over time establish citizenship or permanent residency in the United States, if they desire to.

Meanwhile, in a move that seems to bring the DREAM closer to reality, the Board of Trustees of Metro State College of Denver voted 7-1 to pass a tuition break for illegal-immigrant students provided that a student must:
• Have attended a Colorado high school for the past three years.
• Have graduated from a Colorado high school or gotten a general equivalency diploma in the state.
• Provide proof they are in good legal standing, other than their undocumented status, and that they plan to seek lawful status when eligible.

Democrats support the new rate but some Republican state legislators spoke out publicly against the move by Metro State saying the school may be disregarding the will of the legislature.

In 2010, legislation was passed that gave state colleges and universities broad discretion in coming up with ways to overcome shortfalls by state funding. Funding from the state for higher education has declined by $216 million, or 31 percent, over the past three years.The legislature also has allowed institutions to enact moves such as setting their own tuition rates or creating opportunities to find revenue to help defray their costs.

CAD, along with the group Colorado Organize Resist Escalate (COORE) will deliver a letter to the Obama campaign asking to stop the deportation of all illegal immigrants who are eligible and would be covered by the DREAM Act.