Thread: CA-Santa Ana backs bill to help illegal-immigrant students

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Santa Ana backs bill to help illegal-immigrant students
The city passes a symbolic resolution urging Congress to give undocumented students a path to legal residency.
By DOUG IRVING

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SANTA ANA – Leaders in this city – one of the most Latino big cities in America – are urging federal lawmakers to support a bill that would give illegal-immigrant students a path to legal residency.

The City Council voted 5-0 this week to support the federal D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would also clear the way for undocumented students to get federal loans for their education. The name of the act stands for "Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors."

The city's resolution is symbolic; the real debate over the proposed act will take place in the halls of Congress, not in Santa Ana's City Hall. But council members said it was important to send a message not just to lawmakers, but also to the young people of Santa Ana.

"We believe in you," Councilman David Benavides said. "We stand with you."

The DREAM Act would allow students who are here illegally to apply for legal permanent resident status, protect them from deportation and make them eligible for student loans and federal work study programs.

Most of Orange County's Congress members have said they would vote against the measure if it comes to the floor for a vote. Only Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, has said she would vote for it; but she has not put her name behind the bill as a co-sponsor.

The bill was sent to committees in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives; no votes are currently scheduled.

Santa Ana's resolution may carry added weight because the city has more residents of Hispanic heritage, as a percent of its population, than any other city with at least 300,000 people except El Paso, Texas. About 78.5 percent of Santa Ana residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to the latest Census estimates.

About a dozen people – many of them students – came to the City Council meeting on Monday evening to urge support for the DREAM Act. Several invoked one of the city's mottoes: "Education First."

Nobody spoke against the city’s resolution, although a recent poll by the Orange County Register found strong opposition to the DREAM Act. More than three-quarters of readers who participated in the poll said they do not think college students who are in the country illegally should be given a path to residency, be protected from deportation or be eligible for student loans.

Only about 21 percent of the 1,631 readers who participated in the poll said they support the idea.

"This is what the DREAM Act is about, education," said Councilwoman Michele Martinez, who put the city's resolution in support of the bill on the agenda.

"When we talk about the American Dream, we talk about having a great time, having a family," she said. "But the foundation of that American Dream is education."

Contact the writer: dirving@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/city ... -education

HELL NO!!! CA colleges are talking about cutbacks and reductions, why in the world would anyone care about illegal alien "students" when we have too many AMERICAN students suffering from lack of college funds?!?!?!



NO DREAM ACT!! NOT NOW!! NOT EVER!!!

Well sorry California. You can have em!!!

The City Council voted 5-0 this week to support the federal D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would also clear the way for undocumented students to get federal loans for their education. The name of the act stands for "Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors."

This mind you, is from a City Council who's city is plagued with gang violence( at least one gang shooting per week, sometimes more) and crime. Many people call Santa Ana the sanctuary city of Orange County, because of the huge illegal alien population.

Seems to me this City Council would be better served passing resolutions which crack down on illegals and gang bangers, as opposed to symbolic, do nothing resolutions, like this worthless nightmare act.