Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has been highly critical of the Secure Communities Program, questioning the large numbers of non-criminal immigrants that have been picked up as well as the impact of its enforcement on families.

On Monday August 1, Governor Pat Quinn signed the Illinois DREAM Act, a bill aimed at making higher education more accessible to young people without immigration status who have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives.

In a move to help the children of undocumented residents in Illinois afford college, the House on Monday sent Gov. Pat Quinn the Illinois DREAM Act.

The mayor has made a move that should please many Latino voters.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez told a group of Immigration reform supporters on Saturday he's not sure he could back President Barack Obama in 2012 if he doesn't step up efforts to change deportation policy and education opportunities for illegal students.

Federal immigration officials, frustrated by the refusal of Chicago and Cook County to join a controversial program aimed at deporting immigrants with criminal records, pressed Mayor Richard M. Daley and Sheriff Tom Dart in an aggressive campaign to obtain participation from reluctant police authorities, according to internal documents.

Alaa, a 24-year-old Jordanian who has been living in Chicago since she was 7, has a story.