The “California Dream Act” turned into a reality for undocumented college students Saturday, granting them the ability to apply for state-funded scholarships, loans and financial aid at public universities.
The bill, also known as AB 131, will go into effect January 2013.
The state Department of Finance estimates the new law would affect 3,633 students in the CSU or UC systems, 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, in the end equal to $14.5 million of a $1.4 billion program.
Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed the first portion of the bill in July, released in a statement his satisfaction with the bill and the good he believes it will do for California and its educational system.
“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.
To qualify for aid under the bill, students must graduate from a California high school after attending school in the state for at least three years and affirm they are in the process of applying to legalize their immigration status.
Known as AB 540 students, they must also demonstrate a financial need, meet academic standards and can only qualify for aid after all other legal residents have applied.
CSU East Bay, through a special committee created by Associated Students Incorporated (ASI), drafted a Resolution in Support of AB 540 students Sept. 22, which was consecutively sent to the governor’s office the following week.
According to ASI Director of Legislative Affairs Frank M. Quintana, the resolution was drafted primarily to demonstrate to Gov. Brown that CSUEB is “in full support of any bill that will strengthen educational accessibility to CSUEB and to progress the way people see undocumented and illegal students in our state.”
The CSU Chancellor’s Office estimates that an approximate 130 of the 3,600 undocumented students enrolled into the California State University are AB 540 students at CSUEB, according to Quintana.
Quintana said he has seen the disparity of opportunities available for AB 540 students, as many students who oftentimes are economically disparate, are afraid to reveal their illegal status and find themselves “hiding in the shadows,” and thus miss out on a lot of opportunities to advance their education.
“They shouldn’t feel afraid to be who they are and feel like every other student,” said Quintana. “Many do not feel respected, accepted or recognized by society, but like all other students they simply want to make their mark in society as the first illegal immigrants did hundreds of years ago; claim their stake of the American dream.”
Many opponents argue the “California Dream Act” should not be used to help illegal immigrants, especially as the state faces deep budget woes that have already seen severe cuts to public higher education.
Federation for American Immigration Reform spokeswoman Kristen Williamson called the bill “a reckless use of taxpayer money,” as many critics of the bills say it also encourages further illegal immigration.
For students like Miguel Pimentel, who said he is no longer afraid of disclosing his illegal status, the “California Dream Act” is the realization of a fantasy he has longed for.
“I want to come out of the shadows and make a real difference in this issue,” said the 20-year-old Ethnic Studies major. “Education is the true path to success in this country, it is liberating. I did not choose to come here, but I feel lucky that I am anyways.”
As tensions throughout the country about immigration, Arizona and Hispanic issues further arise, the “California Dream Act,” many say is an important step for not only minority rights, but also the advancement of education and acceptance of students like Pimentel.
“I consider myself an American, always have,” said Pimentel. “Keep an eye out for us, we have something to prove. They [would have been] wasting our talent. We have something to contribute to society as much as anyone else does, illegal, with documents or not.”