Oscar Gomez, a junior at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault, would like to attend the University of Minnesota to pursue a career in medicine. But faced with the prospect of paying expensive, out-of-state tuition, his options are limited.
"If I don?t go to college, what are the alternatives?" he asked. "Will I have to go to work at McDonald's or Taco Bell?"
A good student who also plays on the soccer team and in the school band, Oscar could make a big contribution to Minnesota, said state Rep. Ray Cox, a Republican from Northfield. But because Oscar was born in Mexico and he and his parents came to the United States illegally, he does not qualify for in-state tuition to the state's public higher education institutions.
Cox has authored legislation, dubbed the "Dream Act," that would enable young people like Oscar to pay resident tuition at all higher education institutions in Minnesota. Cox and several young people testified in support of the bill, H.F. 566, Wednesday before the House Higher Education Finance Committee.
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| State Rep. Ray Cox, R-Northfield, listens as Oscar Gomez of Faribault testifies before a Minnesota House committee. The hearing room was packed with people supporting the Dream Act. |
"We do have a number of students like Oscar" that would benefit from the legislation, Cox told the committee. Many came to Minnesota as very young children and have grown up in the state and attended public schools. He urged lawmakers to consider his proposal from an economic and educational standpoint. Only the federal government can address the larger issue of illegal immigration and adjust the citizenship status of undocumented workers, he said.
Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, noted that the state makes a large investment in the children of immigrants by providing full access to public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade.
"Why would we make that kind of investment in Oscar in our K-12 system, but not make that investment in his ongoing education?" Mariani asked.
To quality for resident tuition, students would have to have at least two years of attendance at a Minnesota high school; graduation from a state high school or attainment within the state of an equivalent; registration or enrollment at a public higher education institution and, in the case of a student without lawful immigration status, the filing of an affidavit indicating they have filed an application to legalize their citizenship or will at the earliest opportunity they are eligible to do so.
The committee laid over the legislation to be considered for inclusion in the House Higher Education Finance Committee's omnibus bill. A companion bill, S.F. 627, sponsored by Senator Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, might be included in the Senate higher education omnibus bill.
The Dream Act is a key component of immigration reform efforts at both the state and federal level and was championed during the national Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride in 2003 and the Minnesota Freedom Ride last year.
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Oscar Gomez, a junior at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault, would like to attend the University of Minnesota to pursue a career in medicine. But faced with the prospect of paying expensive, out-of-state tuition, his options are limited.
“If I don?t go to college, what are the alternatives?” he asked. “Will I have to go to work at McDonald’s or Taco Bell?”
A good student who also plays on the soccer team and in the school band, Oscar could make a big contribution to Minnesota, said state Rep. Ray Cox, a Republican from Northfield. But because Oscar was born in Mexico and he and his parents came to the United States illegally, he does not qualify for in-state tuition to the state’s public higher education institutions.
Cox has authored legislation, dubbed the “Dream Act,” that would enable young people like Oscar to pay resident tuition at all higher education institutions in Minnesota. Cox and several young people testified in support of the bill, H.F. 566, Wednesday before the House Higher Education Finance Committee.
|
| State Rep. Ray Cox, R-Northfield, listens as Oscar Gomez of Faribault testifies before a Minnesota House committee. The hearing room was packed with people supporting the Dream Act. |
“We do have a number of students like Oscar” that would benefit from the legislation, Cox told the committee. Many came to Minnesota as very young children and have grown up in the state and attended public schools. He urged lawmakers to consider his proposal from an economic and educational standpoint. Only the federal government can address the larger issue of illegal immigration and adjust the citizenship status of undocumented workers, he said.
Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, noted that the state makes a large investment in the children of immigrants by providing full access to public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade.
“Why would we make that kind of investment in Oscar in our K-12 system, but not make that investment in his ongoing education?” Mariani asked.
To quality for resident tuition, students would have to have at least two years of attendance at a Minnesota high school; graduation from a state high school or attainment within the state of an equivalent; registration or enrollment at a public higher education institution and, in the case of a student without lawful immigration status, the filing of an affidavit indicating they have filed an application to legalize their citizenship or will at the earliest opportunity they are eligible to do so.
The committee laid over the legislation to be considered for inclusion in the House Higher Education Finance Committee’s omnibus bill. A companion bill, S.F. 627, sponsored by Senator Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, might be included in the Senate higher education omnibus bill.
The Dream Act is a key component of immigration reform efforts at both the state and federal level and was championed during the national Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride in 2003 and the Minnesota Freedom Ride last year.