California Dream

The problem of illegal immigration has dramatically divided America. The state of California has decided to fund scholarships for young illegal immigrants, something that the state of Alabama, for example, is trying to prevent.

The new initiative of the Californian state government is quite curious. They want to help those residents who are in the country in violation of federal laws. The law however, does not provide assistance for all, and requires that certain conditions be met. The state senate voted Wednesday for the so-called Dream Act strictly along partisan lines. The bill is due for a vote in the lower chamber next week and will almost certainly be signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The title of the act is meant to reflect the hopes for a normal life by thousands of people living in the U.S. illegally, according to supporters. Last year, Senate Republicans scuttled the national Dream Act, which was supported by Barack Obama. He argued that the country had to begin utilizing the talents of the young people who are in the country illegally. Obama proposed that these young people be given residency papers if they go to college or enlist in the military. After six years, if the program participant did not have any problems with the law and behaved well, they would be eligible for citizenship.

The California Dream Act is more modest and though it does not mention citizenship, it does provide in-state tuition for California residents who are in the country illegally. A few months ago, private institutions were also given the right to provide scholarships for illegal immigrants.

The Republicans who voted against the bill have argued that financing the education of people who won’t be able to legally work in the U.S. afterward is a waste of money. California has a looming debt crisis and has to make every penny in the budget count. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Ira Mehlman, the spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the state is “using scarce resources to help illegal aliens, when so many other people are feeling the brunt of these budget cuts.”

The Democrats, who control the California legislature, have estimated that the total cost of the new program would be only $40 million, which is about one percent of the total amount of money the state spends on tuition. Even with the deficit, this amount is manageable and the dividends, according to supporters, can be substantial. Illegally residing students often apply for citizenship while in college, and many of them graduate as citizens, which enables them to find employment afterward.

“Why would we cut ourselves off from students who have demonstrated since they got here that they have tremendous talent and resilience?” asked Gil Cedillo, one of the authors of the Dream Act.

The Republicans have signaled that they will attempt to have the law repealed through a referendum. “The governor is coming to the folks and saying they need to pay more, and then he’s going to turn around and say we still have money to hand over to people who are in the country illegally,” said Tim Donnelly, a Republican lawmaker. He also said that the bill would encourage illegal immigration and send a negative signal to those who immigrated to the United States legally.

California’s Dream Act is an anomaly rather than a precursor of any shift in the national debate over immigration. Last year, a federal judge blocked a strict immigration law in Arizona and four days ago, the same fate befell a similar law in Alabama. Beginning in September, the law would make acts such as driving an illegal alien or helping them rent a home illegal. All educational institutions in Alabama would be required to check the immigration status of their students — not to expel them, but to get an accurate picture of the number of illegals in the system. Immigration advocates argued that illegally residing parents would stop sending their kids to school.

Judge Sharon Blackburn temporarily blocked the Alabama law, as it was contested in court by a number of organizations. A joint lawsuit was filed by a number of churches, including the Roman Catholic Church. “The Bible is clear that we are supposed to love the stranger and welcome the aliens,” said Henry Parsley, a Protestant bishop. “And we feel that this law could make some of our ministries criminal activities.”