Although comprehensive immigration reform is shelved for the time being, new reports today suggest there is still an outside chance that Congress will take up the DREAM Act this year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told TPM's Christina Bellantoni today that he might introduce the legislation -- which would provide 2.1 million immigrant youth with an avenue toward citizenship if they enroll in college or the military -- as a standalone bill this fall if there aren't enough votes for a broader package to defeat a Republican filibuster. Aides to Illinois' own Sen. Dick Durbin, who wrote the bill, told The Atlantic they are open to that idea. Still, Democrats remain divided on that political strategy.

"[I]f I never do another thing in the rest of my Senatorial career," Durbin said in March, "I'm going to pass that DREAM Act." It was a bold statement from the state's senior senator, considering the fractious politics of immigration reform. Let's hope he finds a way to follow through on his promise.