DACA Amnesty: What Is the DREAM Act, and What Would It Do?

Explaining the proposed amnesty for DACA recipients and the estimated $26 billion net cost

People protest the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) outside the Capitol Building on Capitol Hill, Washington, on Dec. 6, 2017. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The new year is expected to bring a frenzy of lobbying for the passage of the DREAM Act, or S.1615—effectively an amnesty for eligible illegal immigrants written into the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The bill was introduced to the Senate by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in July and has bipartisan support. The DREAM stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors.