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New York Dream Act Case Study

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This paper will examine the impact of the social, cultural and economic factors that benefits for the New York government of investing in higher education for undocumented students through the New York DREAM Act (NYDA). I will also explain the justifications of providing higher education to undocumented immigrant students. According to the Pew Research Center, it is estimated that there are approximately 750,000 thousands undocumented immigrants within New York State (Passel & Cohn, 2014).
Many of the undocumented students who have attended New York schools from kindergarten through 12th grades after graduating high school, they are unable to continuing college education because they are ineligible or do not qualify for any student aid. The …show more content…

The act would allow young undocumented college students who have grown up in the New York area and who meet the guidelines to qualify for in-state tuition in order to access state financial aid and scholarships for higher education (New York Dream Act TAP Into the Future). The act does not provide permanent legal status outright to potential beneficiaries. Rather, it allows students to submit the application for legal permanent resident status on a conditional lawful permanent resident (LPR) status if, upon enactment of the law, they are under the age of 35, have lived in the United States for at least the last five years prior to the legislation’s enactment, arrival in the United States before the age of 16, have not been convicted of a felony or certain misbehaviors, and have obtained a New York State high school diploma or its equivalent issued (i.e., a General Education Development diploma or GED). The conditional lawful permanent resident status would be removed after six years if students successfully complete at least two years of college education or military service and if they preserve good moral behavior throughout the six years period (Fisseha, …show more content…

Now in March 2015 Governor Cuomo has declared to push for the New York Dream Act to continue after the budget negotiations were completed. However, the Dream Act, has been passed in the State Assembly, would have minor chance in a Senate which is controlled by Republicans. The spokesman for the majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, Scott Reif, stated to the New York Times reporter Lis Robbins: “Like most New Yorkers, he doesn’t believe taxpayers should cover the cost of free college tuition for illegal immigrants while hardworking, middle-class families here legally take out student loans that will take them years to

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