Representatives from United We Dream, a grassroots advocacy organization for immigration reform, today called for Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and the New York state senate to pass legislation that would provide tuition equity for immigrant students.
Immigrant students need Gov. Cuomo “to make this bill a reality,” Cristina Jimenez, Managing Director of United We Dream, said on a media conference call. It is not enough for the governor to “just say that he will sign the bill, but he needs to use his leadership and influence to make the bill a reality to be adopted as law.”
The bill at issue is the New York Dream Act. The legislation would allow immigrant and undocumented students to be eligible for in-state tuition rates and financial aid, which would make college more affordable for the millions of undocumented students in the United States.
Three students and members of United We Dream testified on a media call about their own experience and stake in having the New York Dream Act passed.
One student is a United We Dream board member and public policy student at Sarah Lawrence, explained that she came to the United States from Costa Rica when she was 10 months old. She worked for many years as a domestic worker with her mother, but has been trying to complete her college education. It took her more than eight years to be in a position to pursue her education because she is not eligible for financial aid, she explained.
David Chong, a student in Flushing, N.Y.,, is originally from Seoul, South Korea. He is studying sociology and economics at Hunter College and said that he is a “die hard New Yorker” who would like to complete college so that he can give back to the city.
Chong found out he was undocumented when he was applying to college, and it was at that time that he learned he “didn’t have the same opportunities as his friends” because he “cannot apply for financial aid.” The inability to apply for student aid “shows that you are hindered,” he said.
“[Gov.] Cuomo cannot be hypocritical,” Chong said of the governor’s support of immigration reform. “You have to accept all the diversity that is here,” Chong said. “A small investment can go a long way for people who want to stay in New York and give back.
Chavez, who has been working on her associates degree for four years because she has to constantly take break from school to work and save money for classes also requested that Cuomo “show leadership on the issue.”
“Our eyes and pressure are on New York,” Jimenez said. United We Dream plans to make national inroads by continuing to “aggressively prioritize winning battles at the local level,” she said.