California allows college aid to illegal immigrants

[tampa1000]

http://news.yahoo.com/california-governor-signs-controversial-dream-act-191902671.html

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a bill giving illegal immigrant college students access to state-funded financial aid, the second half of two-part legislation known as the "Dream Act."

The controversial measure, which passed the Democrat-controlled legislature on a party-line vote in September, represents a victory for immigrant-rights activists ahead of the 2012 presidential election. California is the nation's most populous state.

Only two other states, Texas and New Mexico, allow illegal immigrants to qualify for state financial aid for college, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking," Brown said in a written statement issued by his office.

"The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us," he said.

Brown in July fulfilled a campaign promise by signing into law a companion bill to allow illegal immigrants to receive privately-funded college scholarships. Together the two bills have been dubbed the "California Dream Act."

A federal Dream Act that would have created a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military failed in Senate last year.

Opponents of the California Dream Act have argued that public funds should not be used to help illegal immigrants, especially as California faces deep budget woes that have prompted cuts in education and higher tuitions at the state's public colleges and universities.

"Citizens are having a hard enough time getting the classes they need now," Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Hesperia Republican, wrote in a September 9 letter to Brown urging him to veto the legislation.

"(California already offers) students in the country illegally in-state tuition; legally documented students from the next state over can only dream of such a benefit," Donnelly said.

California is one of about a dozen states that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition, based on attendance and graduation from a state high school.

Under the new law, written by Senator Gil Cedillo, a Los Angeles Democrat, those same illegal immigrants would be eligible for aid from the University of California, California State university system and the state's 112 community colleges.

They could also apply for Cal Grants, which are cash awards based on academic performance.

For the 2007-2008 academic year, the University of California reports that less than three-tenths of one percent of the system's 220,000 students were immigrants who qualified for in-state tuition.

More than 68 percent of those 1,941 students were U.S. citizens or "documented" immigrants, according to the University of California.

At the state universities, the new law would affect 3,633 students, or less than one percent of the 440,000 students enrolled in the current school year.

Of the nearly 2.9 million community college enrollees, 34,057 would be affected

(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Greg McCune

http://news.yahoo.com/california-governor-signs-controversial-dream-act-191902671.html

[tennesseem]

JERRY BROWN THANKS CALI. WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP! WE CANT EVEN*%$#%**^^$@!%^AAAUUUUU FORGET IT

[design interrupted]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........

[keepmwlknfny]

This is such a load of crap!! There were illegals protesting in AZ that they pass the same thing....and its like WTF?! Your not even supposed to be here and you are on TV telling people your illegal while you protest, but yet they stood back and let them....

Damn good thing I dont work for immigration.....I would be sitting at the front door of these colleges, waiting for the first day of class for these leeches to show up and I would haul their arses right back to where they came from!! If you wanna live here, come here the right way and for gods sake learn how to speak some freakin english!!

[OregonHopeful]

This is absolutely ridiculous.... where are the brains of the "leaders"

How in the world can they justify this??????????????

This country needs help and fast!!

[mrparrot]

There's a real simple solution.

Let's give the Border Patrol the assets it

needs to do it's job properly.

Land mines and sniper towers along the border.

It moves, it dies...

I provided a container for the

bleeding hearts to use.

Please deposit your "-" clicks here:

[aliciadogz]

I got friend who lived in California up to month ago, said they had eough, of the socialist crap.California you got one less taxes payer and he makes pretty go money.

[Atheist]

An organization needs to sue all three of these states for not arresting these illegal immigrants. We are not here to fund college educations for those that could then turn and flee back to mexico to avoid payment.

[easyrider]

im in cali and we are over ran by illegals but its all good been here my whole life love cali love the weather but man this is just f' ed up!!!!!!!!!!

[rapidrex]

DISGUSTING...and SO politically correct and they are BROKE! Remember...this is NANCY PELOSI'S turf, would you expect anything less?

[DinarMillionaire]

This is absolutely ridiculous.... where are the brains of the "leaders"

How in the world can they justify this??????????????

This country needs help and fast!!

The brains of the leaders are representative of the brains of the people that elect them.

Edited October 10, 2011 by DinarMillionaire

[GIDad]

Not racist. Not Bigoted. Just FLIPPIN UNFAIR!!!!!!!!!

My son was wounded twice in Iraq and resides in San Antonio, Tx.

If he wanted to return here to Cali (where he was born) to attend college, he would be forced to pay more than the illegal alien!

When will we tire of being SLAVES!

UNITED WE must STAND

IMPEACH MOONBEAM BROWN

Keep in mind it is against Federal Law to aid and abet illegal aliens. It appears that Gov. Brown just committed a felony. A campaign to recall Gov. Brown (like we did Gray Davis) is already in the works and a referendum is planned to repeal AB 131. This new website will be active soon. http://stopab131.com/ Stay tuned. This treason and pandering to criminals and foreign organized crime will not stand!

[bamagirl]

In my state we just passed the toughest immigration law in the US and you wouldn't believe the people that are protesting this. I have lost two close friends over this. I have no idea how anyone can justify ILLEGAL immigration, it's against the law for crying out loud. How is it fair that I have to produce a birth certificate, SS card and drivers licsense for everything I do and they don't and still get all the rights I have???