The state of California is set to pass a new law that would allow illegal immigrants and the children of illegal immigrants to be eligible for state-funded financial aid. The bill, known as the California Dream Act, does not deal with citizenship, visas or green cards, but rather eliminates these issues as a factor in determining eligibility for financial aid.
While this equal opportunity approach is ideal in theory, the timing for an act of this cost could not be worse. In July of this year, the University of California and California State Universities raised tuition by 18 and 22 percent respectively. These tuition hikes resulted directly from the state of California’s ever-growing budget woes, and caused much controversy over the decreasing value of a California education.
With both the state school system and the economy in such a precarious state, the last thing California needs to be spending money on is more financial aid. According to The New York Times, the passage of the California Dream Act would provide illegal immigrants with more education benefits than they would receive in any other state. In addition, California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed legislation that renders illegal immigrants eligible for private loans and scholarships to California schools. According to an analysis done by the state’s senate, the legislation is expected to cost the state about $40 million. With provisions for private loans and other aid available, the state does not need to be allocating additional funds to those who can obtain aid in other ways, especially given California’s financial troubles.
At the very least, the legislature should refocus some of the funds and funnel them into improving the quality of California schools, or, at the very least, preventing steep tuition hikes for in-state students. In-state students should not be at less of an advantage for the sake of out-of-staters, much less those who are not United States citizens.
The California Dream Act is a good idea in theory, one that should without a doubt be implemented in the future. A bill like that would eventually help the state’s economy because a much higher percentage of its residents would then be able to contribute much more socially and fiscally. But with the given economic climate, not only in California but also at the national level, we cannot afford the expense that this bill would entail.