California DREAM Act Becomes Reality

Over the weekend, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 131 into law. The legislation joins AB 130, which was signed earlier this year. Together, the two bills authored by Gil Cedillo will allow AB 540 students to apply for and receive scholarships at private and public colleges and universities starting in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Undocumented students now how a greater means to finance their educational aspirations. Unlike the federal DREAM Act, the California DREAM Act does not provide a pathway to citizenship and where future graduates will go with degrees in hand remains an open question. Still, it is a great victory for all those student activists and allies who have worked hard to arrive to this day.

“Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking. The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us,” Brown said in a written statement. This is welcomed, given the fact that the Governor could have cowered to xenophobia and deny the public college portion of the legislation.

For more information, the following is a California Dream Act Fact Sheet on the legislation provided by the Dream Resource Center:

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