At 6:45 a.m. this morning, the only news story on Google News about the defeat of the DREAM Act last night in the Senate was from a Dallas newspaper. Not even the Los Angeles Times carried the story on its front pages - still concentrating on wildfire coverage. Nevertheless, this is a very important omission.

The American Association of Community Colleges provides some background on this issue:

"The DREAM Act provides a path to citizenship for undocumented students who are long-term residents of the United States and were initially brought to the country before the age of 16. Eligible students gain legal status through 2 years of higher education or military service. Most DREAM-eligible students have little or no contact with their "home" countries, having lived most of their lives in the United States. Rather than the opportunity to continue their education or enter military service, and make meaningful contributions to the American economy and society, they instead face deportation to countries with which they have little or no connection. Community colleges strive everyday to educate and train the skilled workers required by the 21st century economy, and if we are to succeed in this task, we cannot afford to deny the talents and drive possessed by DREAM Act eligible students.

Previous versions of the legislation also repealed a provision of federal law that barred states from granting in-state tuition to undocumented students. Unfortunately, the political landscape has shifted to the point that the legislation's sponsors felt they had to remove this provision of the bill in order to preserve its viability. We will continue to work with Congress to enact this provision in separate legislation."

Click here for similar sentiments expressed by the American Council on Education.

You can also read about the this issue on NPR - which lead with the story this morning.