The United States was founded upon the belief that the pursuit of happiness is not a privilege but an inalienable right.

Today, immigrant students, families and brave soldiers serving in our military are awaiting their chance to have the pursuit of happiness and the American dream. The passage of the DREAM Act would have made that dream a reality. It would have provided a rational, sensible and humane approach to how we deal with immigration reform and would have reduced the federal deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years.

We are disappointed that the U.S. Senate failed to move this legislation forward and provide thousands of young students across the nation a path to improve their lives as well as contribute to our nation.

We remain ready and willing to work collaboratively on this issue with incoming members of Congress. While this task will not be easy, Congress must not continue to shy away from the great responsibility of shaping our future, strengthening our security through comprehensive immigration reform, and making this dream a reality.