AP Photo by Pat Jarrett
Katie Lawrence / Staff Writer
A bill that helps illegal immigrants get funding for college education has seen recent success in California but has been stunted in Florida by political opposition.
The DREAM Act, or “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act,” helps illegal minors obtain funding, either through private investors or government scholarships, which currently remains forbidden.
California recently passed a partial portion of the bill, which allows angel and private investors to supply illegal aliens with funds to attend college. The second part, which will allow prospective students to obtain government funding, will be voted on in upcoming legislative sessions.
A recent bill passed by President Obama may have helped the cause in California, allowing deportation sentences to be looked at case by case, rather than in bulk, to determine the outcome of a deportation, while keeping in mind criminal background and education status.
While California has begun to make progress on the cause, Florida, whose population of illegal aliens makes up around 5 percent of it’s 19 million total population, is waiting for results.
“They make it hard to stay here,” says Ting Yang, a Chinese student who came to the country legally on a school visa, but cannot stay unless she is hired full-time. “I love the opportunity, but they make you work for it for sure.”
According to the Miami New Times, Florida introduced the bill to the House of Representatives by Dwight Bullard (D-Miami) and in the Florida Senate by Senator Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) earlier this week.
The statute would require that any immigrant applying for aide would have to document current applications for becoming a U.S. citizen, as well as having completed three years of high school, and subsequently graduating in America.
“I was sent home from my internship when they discovered I was not here legally,” says Marlo, who is from Croatia and does not wish to give her last name due to the circumstances. “They gave me a day to get out and told me I must pack and go home [to Croatia].”
Illegal Aliens are not barred from going to American colleges, as long as they have the monetary funds to pay for them. Colleges have individual policies to deal with immigrants and most often, if a student can pay, they will be accepted. FIU admissions could not be reached for comment.
But students who grew up in America and study here are not afforded in-state rights because they were never given legal status.
The U.S. Immigration website starts with a list of benefits of becoming a U.S. citizen, but it is a long road for some.
“I have only a year to find employment. Time is running out. America gives me this opportunity now, but never again it seems,” says Yang.
“You never know when your life can change,” says Marlo, of living in the country illegally. “Even if you go through the proper channels and try, they make it so hard”
Eleven states now have laws that allow undocumented students financial assistance, but Florida is not one of them, despite it’s large immigrant population..
“I’m against the DREAM Act,” Rick Scott said to The Miami Herald. “Why? I don’t believe in amnesty.”
According to The New York Times, the California bill is expected to cost $40 million, or about 1 percent of the state’s college aide budget, a move that a anti-immigration leader called “stupid.”
“I wish I could have had them support me in college and maybe realize I could be an asset to their country,” says Yang. “ I want to give to them if they will just help give to me.”
About Post Author
