Monday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed California’s Assembly Bill 130, which increased access to college financial aid for undocumented students.
AB 130 is only the first part of a legislative package known as the California DREAM Act, and allows undocumented students to apply for private scholarships. The second part is AB 131, which would give undocumented students the same access to public financial aid options as citizens and legal residents.
Though DREAM Act advocates were glad to see AB 130 signed, they made it clear that they are still only half way there since AB 131 has yet to make it to the Senate floor for a vote, with signs stating, “The glass is still half empty. Free AB 131 to fill it up!”
Yesterday, President Obama once again shared his commitment to a national version of the DREAM Act at the annual National Council of La Raza Conference (NCLR).
“I promised you I would fix our broken immigration system and make the DREAM Act a reality,” he said.
He added that during his trip to El Paso two months ago he reaffirmed his support for the education/immigration legislation.
