Undocumented students applying to public California universities can now receive the state-funded financial aid they deserve ““ but there is still work to be done.
On Saturday morning, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the second half of the California DREAM Act, making undocumented students eligible for Cal Grants and fee waivers from the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
To qualify for aid, students must be eligible for in-state tuition under California’s AB 540 law. The criteria for eligibility include attending a California high school for three years and graduating.
This board applauds Brown in supporting two of the University of California’s main pillars ““ accessibility and affordability.
With the recent tuition increases across the UC and California State University systems, the bill opens doors to qualified students for whom a college education is now possible.
But looking ahead, the act falls short in one significant sense: The California DREAM Act does not grant citizenship.
That means these undocumented students who now have access to higher education will not necessarily find jobs upon graduation, despite the DREAM Act being identified as a means of producing more skilled workers for the state.
Although being in the process of applying for citizenship is one of the requirements to qualify for financial aid under the California DREAM Act, such a process can take years to complete.
The skilled, college-educated workers that the DREAM Act will have produced may have to endure unemployment, their potential unused.
For a greater return on investment, the state should push for expediting the federal citizenship process so that the state invests in youth who are able to return the favor.
By becoming the first state to pass a measure of this nature, California sends a strong message to inform the national debate on the federal DREAM Act, which was reintroduced to the Senate on May 11.
The federal act would pave a path to citizenship and provide temporary residency for undocumented students if they fulfill all the obligations of a six-year conditional period.
But change is not limited to state and federal policymakers.
Students, too, can play an integral role.
Many UCLA groups have been instrumental in promoting the federal DREAM Act, including IDEAS at UCLA, a campus group that supports undocumented students.
By lobbying your senators through phone calls, emails and letters, you can help ensure that the momentum gained from the California DREAM Act spreads nationwide.