New York educ officials favor aid for undocumented students

Education officials in New York voted last week to open state financial aid to about 345, 000 undocumented students in the area through a piece of legislation called “Education Equity for DREAMers Act." According to the Asian Journal, Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, made the announcement in front of the New York Public Library last Nov. 14, in the presence of leaders from various sectors and young undocumented immigrants. The Regents voted “to support the extension of the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to all students, regardless of immigration status," said the report. The bill, however, has yet to be brought to legislature, a separate article from the New York Daily News said. The TAP “helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools" in the state. It provides grants of up to $5, 000, which “does not have to be paid back." Tisch said that barring undocumented students from state financial aid “not only hurts these students, it hurts our society." “There are thousands of students in New York who have been condemned to a life of poverty simply because they were brought to the United States as children. Their immigration status is determined solely by the status of their parents, and they’re being denied opportunities that the rest of New York takes for granted," Tisch said. The Board of Regents’ decision follows a resolution it issued last month in support for the federal DREAM Act, which will allow undocumented students to secure citizenship. The 10-year-old piece of legislation was thumbed down by the US Senate last year. Opposition On the other hand, the New York Daily News report said the Regents’ bill “is likely to encounter opposition" from Republicans in the Senate. “This is a tough time for a bill like this. There’s not even enough money right now to offset tuition costs for legal, documented New Yorkers," said Republican Sen. Martin Golden. Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to give a position on the bill. Every year, about 10, 000 undocumented youth qualify for TAP-approved universities but are unable to enroll because they are not eligible for state funding, the report added. ‘Opportunity to do so’ In her visit to Manila last week, State Sec. Hillary Clinton said undocumented students who were brought to the US as children should be given a chance to stay there. Responding to a question via Skype by Filipino Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, Clinton said it is “important" for undocumented immigrants to “be treated with a humane approach," especially if they are young. "If you were brought to the US as a child, that's not a decision you made," she said. "If you're a student and you want to remain in the US, I believe you have to be given the opportunity to do so." - VVP, GMA News