Controversial Law Allows Illegal Immigrants To Receive Private Aid For College

Half of the California Dream Act was signed into law this week.

On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will let students who entered the country illegally receive private financial aid to help cover tuition costs at the state’s public colleges.

The governor signed AB130 at a Los Angeles community college yesterday as debate continues over a second more contentious California Dream Act bill that would allow access to public funding for illegal immigrants.

“It's crucial that we invest in every child that lives and is born in this state. Signing this Dream Act is another piece of investment in people because people drive the culture, the economy," Brown told a crowd of about 100 Los Angeles City College students and local community leaders. "This is another piece of a very important mosaic which is a California that works for everyone."

The governor did not address the more contentious bill yesterday. That bill, AB131, would allow illegal immigrants to receive state-funded scholarships and financial aid. The bill is currently in the state Senate.

The California Dream Act authored by state Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) differs from the federal Dream Act. The federal package provides a path to citizenship for those brought to the country illegally as children.

California's community college and public university systems support the bill. According to the Associated Press, officials with the California State University system estimate that some of the 3,600 students who have permission to pay in-state tuition rates, even though they lack legal documentation, could be affected by the new law.