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Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed the Dream Act, granted illegal immigrant students access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges. Brown however, vetoed a measure that would have allowed state universities to consider applicants’ race, gender and income to ensure diversity in their student populations.
The public financial aid as a result of the Dream Act would allow undocumented college students to receive Cal-Grants, a public program that last year provided aid to more than 370,000 low-income students.
The Dream Act has been a hot debate topic in California, especially because it would allow California more spending of taxpayers’ money for illegal immigrants. Conversely, proponents of the Dream Act argue that since illegal immigrants are going to stay in California anyway whether they go to college or not, it is better that they stay educated, which will benefit the society. But I wonder how these college educated illegal immigrants will actually become hired by U.S. employers after graduation if their status does not allow them to work.
As a Los Angeles immigration attorney, I am aware that there are time bars that apply to immigrant applicants who overstayed in the United States for more than 6 months at least. It seems to me that there is really no way for these illegal immigrant students to take a legal course of employment life after graduation. After all, immigration law is a federal law and the state of California has no power to change or influence it. The Dream Act may just give illegal immigrant students false hope that their lives can change when the reality seems to be a harsh one nevertheless.
