Governor Jerry Brown Saturday signed the California Dream Act in law. This law will allow undocumented students to apply for publicly funded finanical aid for college. It will come into place in 2013, allowing them to recieve Cal Grants and other aid. It would most likely be around 2500 students who apply for it around 1% of the amount of money of the Cal Grant (about 14.5 million dollars of the 145 million dollars). There was a simular proposal in Congress last year that failed to pass. The California Dream Act will go along with a law passed in July that allowed undocumented students to apply for finanical aid from private funds. California was one of the first states to allow undocumented students to go to state schools with resident tuiton with certain circumstances.
Is this constitutional? If the United States Congress did not pass the Dream Act on a national level, Is it possible for a state to pass a simular law? Education is a duty of the state so the state should be able to decide who gets aid from the state for their university. If they are allowed to enter the schools as residents, then they should be able to get aid like other residents.
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The signing of the “California Dream Act” is definitely a victory for many immigrant rights activists. There are however some pros and cons of the Dream Act. Many opponents might say that the Dream Act will only deepen the California budget. Less money means more cuts which can hurt many public colleges and universities. However, the pros may override the cons. By giving top students a chance, many of students can one day contribute to paying taxes and to the economy. In addition, having undocumented students go to college can decrease some of the dropout rates in high school.
I personally do not agree with the "California Dream Act." I feel that the money that is given to undocumented students could potentially be given to students who are actually citizens of the US. College is expensive, with UCs and CSUs increasing tuition to unbelievable amounts, and scholarships and grants are hard to come by. Yes, these students can potentially pay taxes in the future and it could decrease the dropout rates (as Katherine metioned), but I don't think that it is fair to give an undocumented student financial help if not all documented students are helped.
I would have to say that I support the "California Dream Act." My reason is that, yes, the people who would be receiving aid would not be citizens, but they came to this country expecting a better life. Why can't we help them meet their American (or in this case Californian) dream and make getting that better life just that much easier? Like Katherine said, the beneficiaries would most likely be able to give back to the economy after their education so yes, I also agree that the pros outweigh the cons. Now all we have to do is help these families gain citizenship and we will have really helped anyone trying to forge a better life for their families or himself/herself.
I strongly agree with the passage of the Dream Act. Many of the student who will be applying for this money are those who came to AMerica with thier parents at a very young age. THey did not make the choice to come here, there parents brought them here in hopes of a better life. With out the Dream Act, these students have no other choice than to drop out of school after high school and go straight to work, most likely at an extremely low wage. The Dream Act gives those students in pursuit of a better life the chance to improve thier education and lifestyle and contribute to the nation. These families need to have a way to end this cycle of poverty. I know that there is poverty among American citizens as well and college is a hefty price for everyone, but I think the money is much better spent on someone who has no means of obtaining an education than on a citizen who has many more options.
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