California approves 'Dream Act' for illegal immigrants

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/california-dream-act-approved-illegal-immigrants-013617230.html

By Alex Dobuzinskis | Reuters – 8 hrs ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Monday a bill allowing illegal immigrants to receive privately funded scholarships to attend the state's public colleges and universities.

The bill, dubbed the California Dream Act, passed the state Legislature earlier this month and aims at helping illegal immigrants who earned a diploma after attending at least three years of high school in the state.

Enactment of the California measure came three days after opponents of a similar law in Maryland collected enough signatures to force a state referendum seeking its repeal.

"At the end of the day, if we're going to continue as a powerful, equal-opportunity society, we're going to have to invest in our people," Brown, a Democrat, said at the signing ceremony in the library of a Los Angeles community college.

The California law is named after national legislation in Congress to give young, undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years a pathway to citizenship through college or military service.

The federal bill failed to win passage in December 2010, and its chances have dimmed since a newly elected Republican majority took control of the House of Representatives.

Critics say the California Dream Act gives illegal immigrants a false promise because their status will not change after graduating from college and they will remain unable to find legal employment. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoed an earlier version of the bill last year.

But Julian Rivera, 20, a student at the University of California at Berkeley who entered the United States illegally with his parents at age 12 from Mexico, said the measure could make it easier those like him to afford to stay in school.

"It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what your background is, it just matters that you have passion for something and you want to do it," he said. "This is a country that has given us that freedom."

OPPOSING "THE DREAM"

Patrick McDonough, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates who helped lead the petition drive for the repeal initiative there, said U.S. citizens who are struggling to pay for college should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce financial resources.

"People would say, 'Why should we, when we're having tough economic times ourselves, pay for someone who is here illegally?'" he said.

The new California law is fairly limited in scope, making undocumented students who qualify eligible for private scholarships. A separate bill under consideration in the legislature would allow illegal immigrants to seek publicly funded scholarships as well.

State law already allows illegal immigrants who qualify for admission to a four-year state university to pay in-state tuition rather than the more expensive out-of-state tuition rate. But four-year institutions are still beyond reach for many undocumented students without financial aid.

Twelve other states also grant in-state tuition eligibility to illegal immigrants based on attendance and graduation from a state high school, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana have laws barring illegal immigrants from in-state tuition benefits.

Passage of legislation in California and Maryland to extend private scholarships to illegal immigrants comes as a number of states, led by Arizona, have taken steps to crack down on the undocumented.

"You're going to see the red states go more the Arizona approach and blue states the California Dream Act approach," said John Skrentny, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at University of California, San Diego.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Three weeks ago California barely dodged default by the skin of their teeth, two weeks ago they made it a law to teach gay history in California public schools, and for this week....catering to illegal immigrants. If there is a h*ll, it's California.

[peejay 327]

"At the end of the day, if we're going to continue as a powerful, equal-opportunity society, we're going to have to invest in our people," Brown, a Democrat, said at the signing ceremony in the library of a Los Angeles community college.

Somebody needs to explain to this idiot that these are foreign nationals illegally in our country. This kind of stupid rhetoric coming from a politician of a state and a country going broke is retarded. Is this guy a Democrat? Yeah, it figures. There is always more money somewhere.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Somebody needs to explain to this idiot that these are foreign nationals illegally in our country. This kind of stupid rhetoric coming from a politician of a state and a country going broke is retarded. Is this guy a Democrat? Yeah, it figures. There is always more money somewhere.

It's obvious California likes to cater to criminals. California promotes criminal behavior.

[peejay 327]

It's obvious California likes to cater to criminals. California promotes criminal behavior.

What do you expect from the Granola state...the land of fruits, nuts, and flakes? A fitting place to be ruled by the likes of Governor Moonbeam.

Edited July 26, 2011 by peejay

[marjus's girl 6]

What do you expect from the Granola state...the land of fruits, nuts, and flakes? A fitting place to be ruled by the likes of Governor Moonbeam.

:rofl: I want to know where they are going to get the money wasn't this state begging for help because it was almost broke like 3 yrs ago, and i agree to if there is h*ll its there, a good way for Americans to boycott the ####### they're passing is to not visit there, what would they do if legal citizens kept their legal dollars, it runs alot on tourism...

[peejay 327]

:rofl: I want to know where they are going to get the money wasn't this state begging for help because it was almost broke like 3 yrs ago, and i agree to if there is h*ll its there, a good way for Americans to boycott the ####### they're passing is to not visit there, what would they do if legal citizens kept their legal dollars, it runs alot on tourism...

And sleazy politicians buy votes with taxpayer $$$. This is what happens when amnestied illegal aliens become a constituency. This is what is happening.

[marjus's girl 6]

And sleazy politicians buy votes with taxpayer $$$. This is what happens when amnestied illegal aliens become a constituency. This is what is happening.

:thumbs: isn't that the truth...

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

I want to know where they are going to get the money

The very first line of the article in the OP explains it rather clearly:

California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Monday a bill allowing illegal immigrants to receive privately funded scholarships to attend the state's public colleges and universities.

No public funds are involved yet but this could be the "gateway law" that eventually leads to public funding of illegal immigrant college degrees...

Edited July 26, 2011 by Bob 4 Anna

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I believe the budget crisis in CA mirrors what is going on in Washington DC at the moment. Not enough money to maintain the running of the state so you either raise taxes or (though likely 'and') cut spending. Noone wants to do either.

What do you expect from the Granola state...the land of fruits, nuts, and flakes? A fitting place to be ruled by the likes of Governor Moonbeam.

Get over it.

[peejay 327]

No public funds are involved yet but this could be the "gateway law" that eventually leads to public funding of illegal immigrant college degrees...

And what happens when they attend college without scholarships? They still get the reduced rate. And who pays for the difference between the in-state and out-of-state rate?

Not to mention that a foreign national illegally in our country is occupying a seat in a public university classroom and getting the special treatment of getting a scholarship while a US citizen gets bumped.

[slim 1,533]

No public funds are involved yet but this could be the "gateway law" that eventually leads to public funding of illegal immigrant college degrees

"It's worked so well with privately funded scholarships we have no doubt it'll work with public funds too."

Yeah, I could never see a democrat saying that around election time. Especially when addressing the La Raza dinner guests.

[Harsh_77 718]

Then they wonder why their budget have huge deficit --> to meet that deficit they raise the tax on ppl and co-operation --> then they cry no company wants to do business in CA and lot of companies have already moved or are looking at other alternate states with lower rate of tax.

Then they will cry how their un-employment is so high and they cannot pay the city workers, teachers, police and on and on……..

Lawmakers are not crazy only thing they care is for themselves and hence their “VOTEBANK” its time ppl of CA have to question moves like this.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

And what happens when they attend college without scholarships? They still get the reduced rate. And who pays for the difference between the in-state and out-of-state rate?

Not to mention that a foreign national illegally in our country is occupying a seat in a public university classroom and getting the special treatment of getting a scholarship while a US citizen gets bumped.

Don't misunderstand me, I don't support providing ANY services for illegal immigrants. I was just stating that the current law doesn't provide public funds for the scholarships.

"It's worked so well with privately funded scholarships we have no doubt it'll work with public funds too."

Yeah, I could never see a democrat saying that around election time. Especially when addressing the La Raza dinner guests.

Are you saying that you don't think a Democrat would ever offer public funds for these scholarships when pandering to illegal immigrant community supporters who can vote?

That's like saying that Democrats would never offer public money to feed, cloth, educate & otherwise support illegal immigrants and yet we see all of this support from them for not ever being able to verify immigration status of applicants for any type of assistance programs.

[^_^ 5,021]

"It's worked so well with privately funded scholarships we have no doubt it'll work with public funds too."

Yeah, I could never see a democrat saying that around election time. Especially when addressing the La Raza dinner guests.

So because a Democrat might say something around election time, you would like to tell private money what it can or can not be used for?