Thread: California Immigrants struggle to go to college

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Immigrants struggle to go to college
For undocumented students, measure offers a way to pay
By Aurelio Rojas -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, August 29, 2006
SANTA ANA -- It's Friday night, party time for many college students. But inside a cramped conference room, Minerva Gomez has a serious agenda to plow through.

Analyses of proposed immigration changes, government affairs, outreach, fundraising -- she's considering issues of profound importance to Gomez and other students who are illegal immigrants.

As the chairwoman of the Orange County Dream Team Coalition, one of a network of support groups that have sprung up since California opened state universities and colleges to these students, she is familiar with tight schedules.

Gomez, 22, maintained an A-minus average at California State University, Long Beach, while working full time as a waitress on the graveyard shift. She recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology.

Gomez -- who was 5 when her parents left Mexico and illegally entered the United States -- is a beneficiary of Assembly Bill 540. The 5-year-old measure, which has come under attack in the courts and Legislature from critics of illegal immigration, allowed her to attend college for the same in-state tuition charged legal residents.

"I was one of the fortunate ones because AB 540 came in right as I was starting school," Gomez said during a break from her group's weekly meeting at Santa Ana Community College. "Without this bill, I could not have gone to school."

Legislatures around the country are cracking down on illegal immigration; more than 77 anti-immigration laws have been enacted this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. At the same time, some states are improving access to higher education for students who have distinguished themselves.

Nebraska recently joined nine other states, including California, Texas, New York and Illinois, that allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at their public institutions.

But unlike Texas, California does not allow these students to apply for financial aid. Moving through the Legislature this week is Senate Bill 160 by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, which would end this prohibition.

The law would apply to students who are attending college under AB 540, the measure by the late Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, D-South Gate, that then-Gov. Gray Davis signed into law in 2001.

To be eligible for in-state tuition, a student must have attended a California high school for three years and received a diploma or equivalent and met entrance criteria.

The law also requires students to sign an affidavit stating they have applied to become legal residents or will do so if they become eligible.

In the California State University system, out-of-state fees run about $10,000 more than in-state fees per year. At the University of California, there is a $15,000 surcharge. At California's community colleges, in-state fees run about $78 per course, while out-of-state students pay $500.

Advocates say that even with AB 540, many high-performing illegal immigrants who would otherwise attend college have been unable to do so because they are not eligible for aid.

At UCLA, where tuition alone costs more than $2,300 a quarter, members of a group called IDEAS (Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success) have been making telephone calls to round up support for the financial aid measure, said Carol's Montes.

Montes, who co-founded the campus counterpart to the Orange County Dream Team, works up to 30 hours a week in an AB 540 outreach program and as a lab assistant to pay her tuition.

"Everyone has stress figuring out how to pay for college, but for us it's more embedded because we have fewer options," said Montes, a senior.

The daughter of a carpenter and a homemaker who have raised five children, Montes was 4 when her parents entered the country illegally from Honduras.

She graduated at the top of her high school class and is majoring in physiological sciences at UCLA. Her older sister is an AB 540 student at California State University, Northridge.

In a state where Latinos have the highest school dropout and poverty rates, the sisters are the exception rather than the norm.

Indeed, most of the students who register under the guidelines of AB 540 are not illegal immigrants. The law also applies to legal residents, for example, whose parents moved out of state when they were high school seniors, or who attended boarding school elsewhere.

Only 371 students enrolled in the UC system during the 2005-06 academic year were undocumented immigrants admitted under AB 540. The CSU system does not keep a tally.

Most of the students who have taken advantage of the law attend the state's community colleges. During the first 2 1/2 years of the law, more than 18,000 did so.

But Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-San Diego, and other critics allege it violates the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The measure bans states from granting rights to illegal immigrants that do not apply to every U.S. citizen.

Bilbray, who rode anger over illegal immigration to an election victory in June, has two children who graduated from high school in Virginia. They are paying out-of-state tuition to attend college in California.

Bilbray, his two children and 40 out-of-state students attending California colleges are challenging the law in a suit filed in Yolo Superior Court. A decision is expected any day.

"You have a sitting member of Congress with children who are totally documented and are still being required to pay out-of-state fees," Bilbray said. "That's not right."

But Robert Rubin, legal director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco, maintains the law does not violate federal law because tuition benefits are not restricted to illegal immigrants.

All you have to prove is that you are a California high school graduate who has spent at least three years in a California high school.

Rubin, who is representing AB 540 students in the case, has advocated for these students since the 1980s when he successfully argued they could attend school as residents.

In 1990, a court ruling determined that these students must pay out-of-state costs and do it without financial aid. AB 540 reopened campuses to illegal immigrants.

"These kids have overcome such great obstacles, they really represent some of the most industrious individuals that the state has," Rubin said. "They are kids who -- whether legal or not -- are going to remain in this state."

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands, does not disagree these students embody heartwarming stories. But their presence on campus, he said, is wrong.

"I think it's unfair -- not just to California students -- but residents from adjacent states who can't come in here at the same tuition rate," Emmerson said.

Like Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, Emmerson has introduced legislation to repeal AB 540. Both were unsuccessful.

Antonia Rivera, a member of the Orange County Dream Team Coalition, is familiar with their arguments.

Rivera, 24, was 6 when she arrived from Mexico with her parents.

A recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine, she plans to use her education to contribute to the only country she has ever known.

"If I'm going to change the world, I want to begin with my house," she said.



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What financial aid bill would do
Senate Bill 160 would allow students who are attending college under Assembly Bill 540 to apply for financial aid.
AB 540, enacted in 2001, allows illegal immigrants to attend college for the same in-state tuition charged legal residents. The law also applies to legal residents whose parents moved out of state when they were high school seniors, or who attended boarding school elsewhere.

To be eligible under AB 540, a student must have attended a California high school for three years and received a diploma or equivalent and meet entrance criteria to pay in-state tuition.

The measure also requires students to sign an affidavit stating they have applied to become legal residents or will do so if they become eligible.


About the writer:
The Bee's Aurelio Rojas can be reached at (916) 326-5545 or arojas@sacbee.com.

But unlike Texas, California does not allow these students to apply for financial aid. Moving through the Legislature this week is Senate Bill 160 by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, which would end this prohibition.

I guess we can start calling him "two bill Gil" now.

Does Gil ever submit legislation that isn't completely race based in favor of "his people"?

Welcome to the future of America, folks.

A lot of American students can't afford to go to college

Originally Posted by ConcernedCitizen

A lot of American students can't afford to go to college

Screw 'um.

They're not a member of "The Race".

Don't leave home without it. The new official ID of California to collect your benefits.

http://www.mercurynews.com

Posted on Tue, Aug. 29, 2006



Lawmakers approve financial aid to illegal immigrants

SAMANTHA YOUNG
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO - Students who came to the country illegally could apply for state financial aid when they attend California colleges and universities under legislation approved Tuesday by the Assembly in a party-line vote.

Supporters said immigrant children who have graduated and completed at least three years of high school in California should not be penalized for their parents' decision to bring them to the U.S. illegally.

"It is one small measure to help these kids that are working their butts off to live the American dream," said Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, D-South Gate.

The bill would build upon existing state law that allows the same group of students to qualify for in-state tuition at California public schools and community colleges based on high school attendance, rather than U.S. citizenship or state residency.

Critics said offering financial aid to illegal immigrants would shortchange needy American students already competing for a small pot of money.

"We're talking about limited resources here," said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine. "There's only so much that can go around. It's a slap in the face to people who have followed the rules."

Lawmakers approved SB160 by a 43-27 vote, with no Republicans supporting it, and sent it to the Senate for final approval. Aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had taken no position on the bill.

Lawmakers also took the following action:

SEX OFFENDERS - By a 65-0 vote, the Assembly passed legislation requiring registered sex offenders to notify their employers of their prior conviction if the job requires interaction with children. Bill author Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, said it was unacceptable that sex offenders have been employed as Santas at shopping malls, clowns at children's parties and staff members at day camps. No lawmaker spoke against the measure, but some critics have said registrants could be banished from service and retail jobs where minors work if the bill were enacted. The bill, AB2263, goes to the governor.

WIRELESS INTERNET - The Assembly also sent the governor a bill that would require manufacturers to warn computer users about how to protect their personal information and prevent others from tapping into their wireless Internet networks. Supporters said the bill would give consumers the know-how to prevent so-called "piggybacking" by supplying new computer owners with the needed software. Lawmakers approved the measure, AB2415, 55-0.

CELL PHONES - Motorists would have to use handsfree devices if they want to talk on cell phones while driving, under a bill approved by the Assembly. The California Highway Patrol says cell phone use is the No. 1 cause of accidents, according to bill supporters. Critics, however, called the bill a form of government intrusion. Instead, they argued that law enforcement officers should ticket motorists for erratic driving, not for the many potential causes of distractions. New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., have similar laws. Assembly members approved the measure by 47-26 and sent it to the Senate for final approval.

GAY RIGHTS - By a 22-15 vote, the Senate sent the governor a bill by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, that would prohibit schools from using textbooks or providing instruction that criticizes people because of their sexual orientation.

At one point the bill, SB1437, also would have required social science textbooks to discuss the historic contributions of gays. Kuehl dropped that provision in the Assembly in hopes of getting Schwarzenegger to sign the measure, but his aides have made statements indicating that he still might veto the bill.

Senators also sent the governor SB1827, a bill by Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, that would let domestic partners file joint state income tax returns. The 24-15 vote approved Assembly amendments.

INITIATIVES - The Senate also approved, 22-13, a bill by Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, that would require initiative petitions to reveal the measure's five largest financial contributors and whether circulators were being paid to gather signatures.

The vote approved Assembly amendments and sent the measure to the governor, who vetoed a similar measure last year.

Bowen said the legislation, SB1598, would empower voters, letting them know who was bankrolling a proposed initiative before they signed a petition to put it on the ballot.

PLASTIC BAGS - Supermarkets and other large stores with at least 40,000 square feet of space would have to set up programs to recycle plastic bags under another bill approved by the Senate.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Sherman Oaks, said his bill would help stem a flood of plastic bags headed for landfills.

"With Californians throwing away over 600 bags a second, they are creating enough waste to circle the planet over 250 times per year," he said.

A 29-9 vote returned the bill, AB2449, to the Assembly for a vote on Senate amendments.

ALTERNATIVE FUELS - The Senate reversed itself and approved AB1012 by Assemblyman Joe Nation, D-San Rafael.

The bill would require the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations requiring that at least half the new cars and light trucks sold in California starting in 2020 be classified as clean-running alternative vehicles.

Battery-powered cars, vehicles that run on ethanol or another alternative fuel, and vehicles that use a fuel mixture that is less than half gasoline would meet that standard.

A 21-16 vote sent the proposal back to the Assembly for a vote on Senate amendments. On Monday, the bill fell four votes short of passing.

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Associated Press Writer Steve Lawrence contributed to this report.

ON THE NET

Read the bills at http://www.assembly.ca.gov and http://www.senate.ca.gov