isherloxi
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| Joined: 12 Sep 2010 |
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| 08 Oct 2011 07:38 PM |
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)
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| 08 Oct 2011 08:10 PM |
| Good, they deserve equal rights. |
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Boeing717
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| Joined: 08 Jun 2008 |
| Total Posts: 70007 |
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| 08 Oct 2011 09:36 PM |
| I'd be fine with the allowing citizenship to illegal immigrants who go to college, but no college aid to them until they have reached a legal status or become citizens. |
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| 08 Oct 2011 10:11 PM |
| That's outrageous they should not get to college for free they are not even American citizens they came in illegally! This is insane! |
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| 09 Oct 2011 04:24 AM |
"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. __ Excellent. |
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History0
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| Joined: 24 Aug 2010 |
| Total Posts: 1679 |
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| 09 Oct 2011 06:41 AM |
| Before doing this they should try to have an open inmigration policy. |
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| 09 Oct 2011 12:51 PM |
Good, they deserve equal rights. ------------ ILLEGAL Immigrants do not deserve equal rights.
They deserve to be thrown out until they get a fcing green card like the rest of the immigrants. |
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| 09 Oct 2011 01:24 PM |
ILLEGAL Immigrants do not deserve equal rights. __ They do deserve equal rights, but not equal benefits. Illegal or not, they are humans. You cant treat a person like a dog, because he is just "illegal".
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TheAztec
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| Joined: 12 Jul 2010 |
| Total Posts: 2011 |
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| 09 Oct 2011 01:39 PM |
| They're giving people college aid for crossing a border without authorization? |
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Warrab
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| Joined: 17 Oct 2010 |
| Total Posts: 2390 |
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| 09 Oct 2011 02:31 PM |
They do deserve equal rights, but not equal benefits. Illegal or not, they are humans. You cant treat a person like a dog, because he is just "illegal". ___ They already have equal rights. They are trying to give equal benefits.
They're giving people college aid for crossing a border without authorization? ___ Pretty sweet deal amirite? |
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History0
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| Joined: 24 Aug 2010 |
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| 09 Oct 2011 02:35 PM |
| It depends on what you view as a "right", for one college education might be as much of a right as free speech. |
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Adiar
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| Joined: 17 Oct 2010 |
| Total Posts: 606 |
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| 09 Oct 2011 02:38 PM |
| Ok Libby, I agree, they are human, but that does not mean we should just encourage them to commit crimes and cross the border. |
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| 09 Oct 2011 02:43 PM |
>That's outrageous they should not get to college for free they are not even American citizens they came in illegally! This is insane!
They're not going to college for free. They're getting the same financial aid that WASPs do. |
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| 09 Oct 2011 02:53 PM |
| @Obama, you do realize that everyone on this continent has ancestors that were immigrants. |
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Warrab
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| Joined: 17 Oct 2010 |
| Total Posts: 2390 |
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| 09 Oct 2011 02:54 PM |
| I'm okay with the DREAM Act as long as the individual was brought by their parents and not by their own choice. |
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| 09 Oct 2011 05:46 PM |
They do deserve equal rights, but not equal benefits. Illegal or not, they are humans. You cant treat a person like a dog, because he is just "illegal". --------------- They hop the border and dont pay taxes.
While legal immigrants do.
How fair. |
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| 09 Oct 2011 05:47 PM |
@Obama, you do realize that everyone on this continent has ancestors that were immigrants. ----------------- Including your subhuman ancestors. |
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| 10 Oct 2011 04:40 AM |
They hop the border and dont pay taxes.
While legal immigrants do.
How fair. __ >risking their lives |
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| 10 Oct 2011 04:41 AM |
| Do you really believe that crossing the border is 4tehlolz picnic trip? |
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Warrab
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| Joined: 17 Oct 2010 |
| Total Posts: 2390 |
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| 10 Oct 2011 09:35 AM |
| Of course not, but it's still illegal. |
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| 10 Oct 2011 09:56 AM |
| oba/curseoftim/castrossigars believe that they are fun trips. |
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