Legislature passes Peralta DREAM Act for immigrant students
Both chambers of the state Legislature passed a landmark bill to ensure a right to education and open access to financial aid for non-citizens in New York state on Wednesday, after years of advocacy among immigrants rights groups and Democratic lawmakers.
The Sen. Jose Peralta New York State DREAM Act, which had passed the state Assembly on numerous occasions, easily passed the Democratic-controlled majority in the Senate and awaits signature by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The bill is named in honor of the late Sen. Peralta, the District 13 senator who died in November from complications stemming from leukemia. Peralta was the first Dominican-American to serve in the state Senate and an advocate for immigrant rights.
“I have long believed in a New York where your immigration status is not a barrier to achieving a high-quality education,” said City Councilmember Francisco Moya, a former assemblymember who sponsored the first version of the DREAM Act in 2013. “For years we have dreamed of this place together. Tomorrow, we will wake up from that dream to find it a reality.”
The DREAM Act will enable undocumented immigrant children who are already students in New York state to qualify for state financial aid for higher education. The bill also creates a “Dream Fund” for college scholarship opportunities and will remove barriers that prevent undocumented immigrant families from college saving programs, according to the bill text.