As I understand immigration law, "NO effort to get legal."  maligns them unfairly.

If you are illegal, you have to voluntarily leave, go back to your place of birth and then apply for one of the few slots available for those of your birth country , paying non-refundable application fees.

"However, at that point the consulate will penalize you for your illegal U.S. stay, with a time bar on returning to the United States. The penalty is either to spend three years outside the United States if you stayed in the U.S. illegally for six months (180 days) or more; or to spend ten years outside the United States if you stayed in the U.S. illegally for one year or more. 

Expecting a 'Dreamer' to even start that process prior to being 18 is ludicrous.  

Reagan's Amnesty procedure allowed the illegals at the time to become legal without leaving the country first. 

Only Congress can authorize that.  Obama just ignored the law.