DREAM Act for Ohio proposed

Bill would help children of illegal immigrants go to college

By Jim Siegel
The Columbus DispatchThursday June 28, 2012 4:57 AM

Ohio’s version of the DREAM Act, designed to make the children of illegal immigrants eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid, was rolled out this week by a pair of Senate Democrats.

“This bill is necessary to offer all students the chance of achieving the American dream,” said Sen. Charleta B. Tavares, D-Columbus, who jointly sponsored the bill with Sen. Tom Sawyer, D-Akron. “This country was built on the foundation of encouraging individuals to reach their highest potential. We should not penalize young people for striving for success.”

The Tuition Equity Act is modeled after laws in states including Texas and California. Republicans in New York last week blocked a similar bill.

To be eligible, an individual must graduate from high school in Ohio, have attended high school in Ohio for three years before graduation, register as an entering student not earlier than fall 2012, and provide the institution with an affidavit stating that he or she will file an application to become a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.

Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, said that, generally, “we want our students to have access to state universities at the lowest possible cost to them.”

But Johnson said the immigration issue is politically “above the rim.”

“The policy question about how to advantage illegal immigrants is a state policy that is bigger than whether our students get access to quality education at a reasonable cost,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, said it’s too early to offer an opinion on the plan.

The federal DREAM Act has been debated in Congress for years. It would provide a conditional path to permanent residency for those who complete two years in the military or at a university. President Barack Obama recently announced that his administration will stop deporting immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children who have had no criminal record and earned a high-school diploma or served in the military.

The move affects an estimated 800,000 young illegal immigrants.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

DREAM Act for Ohio proposed | The Columbus Dispatch