Immigration Advocates Discuss New York Dream Act at Law School Forum
Immigration Advocates Discuss New York Dream Act at Law School Forum
New York, Feb. 7, 2012—The student-run Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights hosted a forum at Columbia Law School last week to discuss bills pending before the New York Legislature that would offer state and private tuition assistance to college-bound undocumented immigrants who want to enroll in state schools.
The panel discussion came amid growing support for the New York Dream Act, which would allow undocumented students who meet certain conditions to be eligible for state and city financial aid programs, including grants, loans, and scholarships.
In recent weeks, the proposal has gained momentum, winning endorsements from the chancellor of the City University of New York, trustees of the State University of New York, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Council, the New York State Catholic Conference, the United Federation of Teachers, New York University, and the business group Partnership for New York City. Governor Andrew Cuomo has not taken a position on the bill.
The panel event included Jackie Vimo, director of advocacy for the New York Immigration Coalition and a leader in the campaign to pass the legislation.
Vimo described how the legislative battle on behalf of undocumented students moved to the states after the federal Dream Act stalled in Congress in 2010. That bill would have offered a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrant children who attended college or served in the U.S. military for two years.
While state lawmakers do not have authority over citizenship matters, they can broaden access to higher education, and 12 states now offer in-state tuition to undocumented students. California and Texas also offer financial aid, and New York’s bill is based on legislation in Illinois and California.
“I’m fairly confident we’re going to pass it in New York this year,” said Vimo. “We want to send a message that New York stands with Dreamers.”
Panelist Sonia Guinansaca spoke about the personal challenges of trying to earn a college degree as an undocumented immigrant. The 22-year-old Hunter College student came here at age five and has been working toward her bachelor’s degree by taking classes when she can afford them. That is typical of the experience of undocumented youth, who may take one or two classes per semester and require years to earn a degree. “Then you get your bachelor’s degree, and you may not be able to use it,” Guinansaca said.
Guinansaca and panelist Gabriel Aldana represented the New York State Youth Leadership Council, an organization of undocumented youth that helped write the original legislation introduced in Albany last year. Aldana said passage of the Dream Act would improve dismal enrollment and graduation rates of undocumented students and give high school students an added incentive to graduate.
Rounding out the panel was Tatyana Kleyn, an assistant professor of bilingual education at City College. A Teachers College alumna, she began advocating for the bill after meeting remarkable students in her classes who were not eligible for state aid because of their undocumented status. “Why is this fair?” she asked.
Kleyn also spoke about her own experience as an immigrant, noting how different it was from that of Guinansaca. She, too, came here at age five, but because she was a political refugee, fleeing anti-Semitism in the former Soviet Union with her family, her path to citizenship and higher education was clear.
During a question-and-answer session at the end of the discussion, one audience member asked why the state should pay tuition benefits when students might end up being deported.
“As it stands now, New York has already invested in immigrant education in grades K-12,” said Vimo. “It doesn’t make sense to invest only until age 18. Of course, any investment is done with the thought that eventually there has to be immigration reform.”
The Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights focuses on the rights of refugees and immigrants in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to sponsoring the panel on Feb. 1, the group hosts a career forum and administers pro bono projects to assist immigrant detainees, West African immigrants in Harlem, and Iraqi refugees.
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