Thread: CALIFORNIA ILLEGAL ALIEN STUDENT TUITION ASSISTANCE BILL

Bill would give illegal immigrant students tuition assistance

By: EDWARD SIFUENTES - Staff Writer

A controversial bill on the governor's desk would give illegal immigrant college students in California new benefits, including access to state grants and fee waivers.

Immigrant rights groups have urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign Senate Bill 1, also known as the California Dream Act, saying it would give those students hope for a better future. But the governor rejected a similar bill last year and opponents say the measure would stretch the state's already tight resources.

"I guess California hasn't figured out what to do with its revenue surpluses," said Ira Mehlman, referring to the state's ongoing budget shortfall. He is a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that advocates stricter immigration measures.


As the clock ticked Friday, groups on both sides of the immigration debate petitioned the governor in favor of and against the bill. On Friday evening, it was one of more than 300 bills awaiting action in his office. He has until midnight Sunday to act on the legislation.

Approved by the Legislature last month, the bill applies to financially needy illegal immigrant students. It would make them eligible for state grants or community college fee waivers if they graduate from California high schools after attending for at least three years.

The measure, by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, also would give a break to U.S. citizens who graduate from a California high school but then move out of state. It would make them eligible for the same aid programs if they wanted to return to California for college.

The divisive measure was approved largely along partisan lines. North County's delegation of Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, including Assemblyman Martin Garrick, R-Carlsbad. He said it's wrong to give illegal immigrants the same tuition benefits as citizens.

"I'm not in favor of giving benefits to illegal immigrants at the expense of other individuals who are citizens of the U.S.," Garrick said.

Supporters of the bill say it's a matter of fairness for students whose parents, though they may be in the country illegally, contribute to the state economy through their labor and taxes, including sales and property taxes.

"It would be a very important bill to pass," said Yvette Felarca, co-founder of a nationwide network of student civil rights organizations.

"It's an important step in the right direction," said Felarca in a telephone interview from Berkeley.

Students have organized several rallies, including one in front of the state Capitol earlier this month, in support of the bill. Felarca said her organization also advocates for the legalization of illegal immigrant students.

A bill expected to come before the U.S. Senate next month would give illegal immigrants who came into the country as children a chance to become legal residents by serving two years in the military or completing two years of college.

California is already one of nine states that allows illegal immigrant students to pay the same public college or university fees as state residents who are U.S. citizens, rather than the much higher fees faced by students coming from out of state.

That only applies to illegal immigrant students who graduated from a California high school after attending it for at least three years. The students also must apply for legal status.

Schwarzenegger vetoed the California Dream Act bill last year, saying it would allow illegal immigrant students to apply for competitive state grants.

"While I do not believe that undocumented students should be penalized for the acts of their parents, this bill would penalize students here legally by reducing the financial aid they rely on to allow them to go to college and pursue their dreams," Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message last year.

Under this year's bill, Cedillo eliminated competitive grants that the governor mentioned in his message. Illegal immigrant students would only be eligible for grants that are available to all students who qualify based on academic achievement and financial need.

That means other students would not be displaced by illegal immigrants, Cedillo said in a written statement.

A spokesman for the governor said Schwarzenegger had not taken a position on the Cedillo bill but was "thoroughly reviewing it."

About 20,000 students are enrolled in California community colleges and universities under Assembly Bill 540, which allows illegal immigrants and nonresident students to pay the lower tuition fee, according to the state figures.

A Senate analysis of the bill estimated it would cost the state about $4.7 million in grants and about $8 million in community college fee waivers.

Supporters of the bill say it's money well spent.

Bill De La Fuente, who founded a North County Latino merchants group that raises money for scholarships aimed at illegal immigrant students, said it makes financial sense to invest in students eager to get an education regardless of their immigration status.

"I'm for it because of the capitalist idea that if you educate a student, that student is going to do more for the economy than not educating them," De La Fuente said.

Opponents say the state cannot afford to reward illegal immigrants.

"Even though it wasn't the kids that made the decision to come here illegally... their parents are indirectly rewarded," Mehlman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/10 ... _12_07.txt

CA has a surplus? What about all the hospitals ready to close because of the huge numbers of illegals using them without paying?

Cmon Arnie, do the right thing. Don't sign it!

That means other students would not be displaced by illegal immigrants, Cedillo said in a written statement









And just where does that line of "rational thought" come from, exactly?

For every dime given to an illegal it means that the money is not there to be given to help an American student who needs it.

How does that come close to translating to "no other students will be displaced"?

If I lived in California I would move. But then I said that decades ago and they just keep getting worse. Soon the only ones who live there will be the ones with second homes, so they don't get stuck with all those taxes, and those too poor to be able to move.

Cede California to Mexico. I don't mind.

Even if California ceded to Mexico, they'd turn it in to an even worse crap hole than it already and that wouldn't solve the problem of illegal immigration. Once they were done with California they'll continue their illegal immigration in to our other states and rob it of all it's resources, illegal immigrants won't be satisfied until the USA is as bad or worse than Mexico. It's all about envy, Mexico is envious of our prosperity so they try to steal the crumbs and when they found no opposition they grew more daring, now you find them in Canada too. Mexico is full of hypocrisy, their southern border remains closed yet they want ours opened for them. They want to protect their soveriegnty but want us to give ours away. I don't care if it's not your fault your parent brought you against your will, giving financial aid in any form to an illegal is an incentive and a magnet for more parents to cross their kids. Shut off the incentives quit creating magnets and they will leave simple as that. When it gets to a reasonable number perhaps on a case to case basis we'll let some attend our universities and community colleges on a work aid where they have to go to work to pay for it, no hand outs. And, that's after the fence is built, employers are getting fined in the tens of thousands of dollars, our public schools aren't over flowing, and the 14th ammendment is repealed plus once a law passes that states you can work and go to school here but you are not a US citizen nor are any of your kids. And they have to go home every 2-3 years to reapply plus the taxes they pay should be double that of a US citizen and no free health care for them or their kids. No free anything! If they want a better life then they should work harder for it and pay more, plus any house they buy or property should be "rented" as in they will never own it as they are not a US citizen and should not be able to own US soil, sound familiar Mexico?